The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for various foot and ankle disorders due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
The deciding factor: The VA examinations did not adequately address the continuity of symptoms reported by the Veteran, which is a critical factor in establishing service connection.
- Claimed conditions
- left ankle disorder, right ankle disorder, left foot Morton's neuroma, left foot strain, left foot plantar fasciitis, right foot plantar fasciitis, left foot pes planus, right foot pes planus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 6, 2021
- Citation
- 21062044
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 715 · Granted: 43% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed 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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 21062044.
What this means for you
A remand sends an issue back for more development, often a new examination or missing records. It does not award the benefit or decide the final outcome. The original decision explains the additional work ordered.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's migraine headaches are rated at 50% and cannot be increased.,SMC at the housebound rate is granted from January 11, 2021 due to multiple service-connected disabilities.,A TDIU rating effective October 28, 2011 is granted based on inability to secure or follow substantially gainful employment due to migraine headaches.,Eligibility for DEA benefits is granted but no earlier than the date of claim (April 5, 1999).
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection for lower back, right hip, and right ankle disorders as secondary to his left knee disorder. The AOJ must obtain VA examinations and provide answers to questions regarding the etiology of these conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the claims for increased rating and service connection must be remanded due to inadequate examinations and duty-to-assist errors.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the claim for service connection of a bilateral foot condition due to lack of STRs and need for further examination.
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