The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for a bilateral foot disability and left shoulder disability, as they are inextricably intertwined due to the potential impact on the service connection claim for the left shoulder. The VA must obtain SSA records and provide an addendum opinion addressing whether the preexisting pes planus was aggravated during service and if any other currently-diagnosed foot disabilities had their onset in service or are otherwise etiologically related to service. For the left shoulder disability, the VA must also address whether it is at least as likely as not caused by or aggravated by the bilateral foot disability.
The deciding factor: The claims for a bilateral foot disability and left shoulder disability are remanded due to the potential impact on each other and the need for additional development and medical opinions.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral foot disability, left shoulder disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 12, 2022
- Citation
- 22039748
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 22039748.
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 denied service connection for residuals of gallbladder removal and remanded the other claims due to insufficient evidence.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral foot disability is related to his active military service and grants service connection for this condition.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has found that remand is needed for the Veteran's claims due to duty to assist errors, including clarification of periods of service and obtaining relevant records. The Veteran will be afforded new medical examinations for each claimed disability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for a new examination to address the Veteran's lay statements regarding her symptoms during service.
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