The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for new VA examinations to assess the current severity of his service-connected disabilities, including bilateral plantar fasciitis with calcaneal spurs, lumbar spine degenerative disc disease, diverticulitis, left ankle achilles tendonitis, and bilateral feet tinea pedis.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's last VA examinations were conducted more than seven years ago, and his disabilities have reportedly worsened since then. The need for new evaluations is to provide current pictures of the Veteran's disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral plantar fasciitis with bilateral calcaneal spurs, lumbar spine degenerative disc disease, status post lumbar fusion L4-S1, diverticulitis, status post resection of the small intestine, left ankle achilles tendonitis, bilateral feet tinea pedis with bilateral toenails onychomycosis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 21, 2021
- Citation
- 21075709
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 21075709.
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 decided to remand the case due to a duty to assist error, requiring another VA examination for nerve conditions.
- Granted
The Veteran's left ankle disability was granted a 20% rating from July 30, 2012 to February 18, 2023. The claim for an increased rating beyond this period is denied.
- Partly granted
The Board denied increased ratings for the Veteran's low back and left ankle disabilities, granted a 20% rating for left lower extremity radiculopathy from April 14, 2023, to October 11, 2023, and granted an earlier effective date of January 14, 2016, for the grant of service connection for left lower extremity radiculopathy.
- Denied
The Board denied an earlier effective date for the awards of 10 percent ratings for right and left ankle achilles tendonitis, as it was not factually ascertainable that a 10 percent rating was warranted within one year prior to September 2, 2023.
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