The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to insufficient rationale provided in previous VA examinations. The issues include lower back disability, right and left ankle disabilities, flat feet, and complex regional pain syndrome.
The deciding factor: The decision is based on the need for additional medical opinions to address the sufficiency of the existing VA examination rationales and to consider all relevant evidence including lay testimony regarding continuity of symptoms.
- Claimed conditions
- lower back disability, right ankle disability, left ankle disability, left flat foot, right flat foot, complex regional pain syndrome, to include reflex sympathetic dystrophy in the left leg, complex regional pain syndrome, to include reflex sympathetic dystrophy in the right leg
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 1, 2020
- Citation
- 20057698
This is a plain-language summary generated by AI from a public Board of Veterans’ Appeals decision. It can contain errors — always verify against the original. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 20057698.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has expanded the scope of the claim to include any mental health disorder raised by the record and has remanded for additional development regarding service connection for left leg, ankle, and psychiatric disabilities.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for left, right ankle disabilities, left and right hip disabilities, left and right shin splints, and left and right knee disabilities due to inadequate nexus opinions in the VA examination reports. The Veteran contends that her current disabilities are related to injuries sustained during basic training.
- Dismissed
The Board has dismissed the appeals for service connection of left knee disability, tension headaches, a left ankle disability, and a back disability due to the Veteran's death.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that new and relevant evidence has been received to reconsider the Veteran's claims for service connection for left hip, left knee, right hip, and lower back disabilities. The claim for left hip disability is remanded due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error.
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