The Board has determined that the Veteran's current ankle and foot conditions are not related to his active service, and arthritis is not shown to be related to his service. The right knee condition and gastrointestinal condition (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) need further examination.,Further medical opinions are needed regarding whether the Veteran's current conditions are related to his military service.
The deciding factor: The preponderance of evidence does not support a finding that the Veteran's current ankle, foot, and arthritis conditions began during active service or are otherwise related to an in-service injury, event, or disease. The right knee condition and gastrointestinal condition (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) need further examination.
- Claimed conditions
- Left Ankle Condition, Right Ankle Condition, Bilateral Foot Condition, Arthritis (right hand), Spine Arthritis, Hip Arthritis, Right Knee Condition, Gastrointestinal Condition (Irritable Bowel Syndrome)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 4, 2021
- Citation
- 21061638
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,188 · Granted: 23% (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 21061638.
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 bilateral knee conditions, finding that the Veteran's current knee conditions are more likely than not related to his military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the most recent rating decision on the merits, issued in October 2024, requires correction due to pre-decisional duty-to-assist errors. The claim for service connection for a right knee condition is being remanded.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's right knee condition is related to his service-connected left knee, back, and bilateral foot disabilities. The decision grants entitlement to service connection for this condition.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for migraine headaches, right knee condition, and acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD and depression) are being remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations and evaluations.
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