The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for various foot and ankle conditions due to inadequate medical opinions, unclear dates of service, and incomplete records. The Veteran is seeking service connection for his right ankle DJD, plantar fasciitis in both feet, and bilateral pes planus.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the provided medical opinions were insufficient and lacked a complete rationale, as well as not considering the Veteran's lay statements regarding the onset and continuity of his disabilities. The dates of service are unclear, and some records have not been associated with the claims file.
- Claimed conditions
- mild degenerative joint disease (DJD) of the right ankle, plantar fasciitis of the right foot, mild degenerative joint disease (DJD) of the left ankle, plantar fasciitis of the left foot, bilateral pes planus (flat feet)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 2, 2020
- Citation
- 20058072
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 20058072.
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 remanded several issues related to the Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including ratings for his feet and knees, as well as a new rating for his right hip disability. The SMC claim is also being remanded due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claim for service connection for bilateral pes planus (flat feet) due to the need for a VA examination to determine if the Veteran's preexisting condition worsened during service.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral pes planus (flat feet) as there was no evidence of aggravation during service, and thus his pre-existing condition could not be considered aggravated by military service.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected bilateral pes planus, metatarsalgia of both feet, plantar fasciitis of both feet, and neuropathy of both feet have been granted effective July 14, 2014. The Veteran also received a separate rating for hammertoes of the right foot (10%) and left foot (10%), as well as arthritis of the first MTP joint of the right and left foot (10%).
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