The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current right lower rib disorder and therefore, service connection for this condition is denied.,Regarding his low back disorder, the Board finds additional medical opinion necessary to determine if it is at least as likely as not related to his military service or secondary to his service-connected bilateral plantar fasciitis with metatarsalgia.
The deciding factor: The Veteran has not been shown to have a current right lower rib disorder, and the evidence does not support a finding that it is related to his military service.,Regarding the low back disorder, the Board finds insufficient medical opinion regarding whether it is at least as likely as not caused by or aggravated by his service-connected bilateral plantar fasciitis with metatarsalgia.
- Claimed conditions
- Right lower rib disorder, Low back disorder, Neck disorder, Right knee disorder, Left toenail disorder, Right toenail disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 24, 2022
- Citation
- 22010811
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 22010811.
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 Veteran's claim for a low back disorder was reopened, and his claims for increased ratings of bilateral knee instability were granted. His hearing loss claim was denied.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for a low back disorder. The claims for bilateral hearing loss, hypertension, bilateral knee disorder, and an acquired psychiatric disorder are remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection and TDIU due to duty to assist errors that occurred prior to the rating decision on appeal. The Veteran's right knee disorder is being remanded for an addendum opinion regarding its etiology.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for a low back disorder, finding that the evidence did not show an in-service onset or relationship to service.
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