The Board previously denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a right ankle condition. The U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (CAVC) has ordered the case back to the Board for further development and readjudication due to an inadequate opinion in the January 2018 VA examination report.
The deciding factor: The prior decision was based on an inadequate opinion that did not consider the Veteran's lay statements regarding his symptoms and treatment, which are considered competent evidence.
- Claimed conditions
- right ankle osteoarthritis, sprain, fracture
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 1, 2021
- Citation
- A21016267
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 A21016267.
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 Board has granted service connection for left ankle osteoarthritis, right ankle osteoarthritis, and right foot metatarsalgia.,Service connection is established based on direct evidence of the conditions in question.
- Granted
The Veteran was granted a total disability rating due to individual unemployability (TDIU) for the period prior to April 2, 2022, effective October 12, 2021. The Board found that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities prevented him from securing or following gainful employment since at least October 2021.
- Granted
The Veteran's claims for service connection have been granted for lumbar spine disability, peripheral vision loss, left side inguinal hernia, and right ankle osteoarthritis. The evidence received since the July 2018 rating decision is considered new and relevant to these conditions.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for right knee degenerative joint disease and right ankle osteoarthritis, finding that there is no competent medical evidence linking these conditions to service.
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