The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate examination findings and requests a new VA examination.
The deciding factor: The examination report did not comply with the requirements in Correia v. McDonald, 28 Vet. App. 158 (2016).
- Claimed conditions
- right ankle injury with traumatic arthritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 5, 2020
- Citation
- 20071565
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,084 · Granted: 20% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 20071565.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and earlier effective dates have been granted. The right wrist fracture residuals are rated at 10 percent, the right ankle injury with traumatic arthritis is rated at 30 percent, service connection for a lumbar spine disability was established on January 8, 2008, the 30% rating for the right ankle injury was effective December 18, 2006, and TDIU became effective January 8, 2008.
- Granted
The Veteran's right ankle disability is currently rated at 20 percent, the maximum under Diagnostic Code 5271 for limited motion of the ankle. The Board found no evidence to support a higher rating based on functional loss or ankylosis. Service connection was granted for sleep apnea.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the veteran's right ankle disability, currently rated at 10 percent, does not warrant a higher evaluation due to moderate limitation of motion. The current rating adequately reflects the veteran's functional impairment.
- Remanded (sent back)
The veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining medical records and conducting VA examinations. The TDIU claim will be handled after the degree of impairment for his service-connected disabilities is determined.
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