The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for bilateral foot disabilities and the issue of entitlement to special monthly compensation due to inappropriately relying on an August 2019 VA examination report. The Veteran's case is being remanded for further medical opinion regarding his foot conditions, including whether they are aggravated by his service-connected bilateral knee disabilities.
The deciding factor: The Board failed to consider all relevant diagnoses of record when discussing the Veteran's service-connection claim and did not adequately address whether his existing foot disabilities were caused or aggravated by his service-connected bilateral knee disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Foot Disabilities, Diabetic Neuropathy
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 20, 2022
- Citation
- 22002990
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 22002990.
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 Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, ischemic heart disease, diabetic neuropathy, prostate cancer residuals, bilateral diabetic peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities (sciatic), and diabetes mellitus Type 2, combine to result in physical or mental impairment that renders him so helpless as to require regular aid and attendance of another person. However, the need for aid and attendance must be determined without considering nonservice-connected disabilities.
- Granted
The Veteran's disability ratings for diabetic neuropathy and hypertension were restored to their previous levels effective November 1, 2025.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his bilateral knee and foot disabilities are being remanded due to pre-decisional errors in obtaining the Veteran's VA treatment records and failing to provide a VA examination.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected diabetic neuropathy of the left and right lower extremities involving the femoral nerve was denied evaluations in excess of 20 percent on or after April 13, 2022.
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