The Board has remanded both issues of service connection for a right foot disorder and a low back disorder due to the need for clarification on whether the Veteran's current conditions are developmental defects or diseases, and if they are related to service.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the nature and etiology of each right foot disorder needed further clarification as to whether they are developmental defects or diseases, which have different legal standards for service connection.
- Claimed conditions
- Right club foot with surgical repair, Right foot pes planus, Right foot metatarsalgia, Surgical fusion of the right great toe with intact fixation screw in the calcaneus, Right foot arthritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 11, 2022
- Citation
- 22001369
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,569 · Granted: 26% (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 22001369.
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.
- Denied
The Veteran's TDIU was based on multiple service-connected disabilities, and he does not meet the legal criteria for payment of compensation at the housebound rate under the regulations due to his service-connected conditions.
- Denied
The Veteran's right foot pes planus with plantar fasciitis is rated at 10 percent prior to September 8, 2020 and at 20 percent thereafter. The Board found the evidence did not support a higher rating for any period.
- Denied
The Veteran's right foot pes planus with chronic pain is rated at 10 percent, and the Board has denied an increased rating as his symptoms do not meet the criteria for a higher rating.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and granted service connection for right foot metatarsalgia, while remanding the other claims for further development.
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