The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral upper extremity peripheral neuropathy is denied.,Service connection has been granted for the Veteran's bilateral ankle condition as secondary to his service-connected pes planus. The Board finds that more development is needed for the remaining issues.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral lower extremity peripheral neuropathy and bilateral finger condition are both remanded due to insufficient evidence.,Service connection has been denied for the Veteran's bilateral finger condition as secondary to his service-connected pes planus.
The deciding factor: There is no current diagnosis of upper extremity radiculopathy or neuropathy in the record, and the VA examiner found that any such conditions are resolved by spinal fusion surgery.,The VA examiner concluded that bilateral ankle strains are at least as likely as not aggravated by the Veteran's service-connected pes planus. The Board finds this opinion inadequate and requires a new examination to determine if there is a causal relationship between the Veteran's bilateral ankle condition and his service-connected pes planus.,The VA examiner found no medical pathophysiologic relationships between pes planus causing or leading to hand strain, and thus concluded that the Veteran's bilateral finger condition is not caused by his service-connected pes planus. The Board finds this opinion inadequate and requires a new examination to determine if there is a causal relationship.,The VA examiner found no medical pathophysiologic relationships between pes planus causing or leading to hand strain, and thus concluded that the Veteran's bilateral finger condition is not caused by his service-connected pes planus. The Board finds this opinion inadequate and requires a new examination to determine if there is a causal relationship.
- Claimed conditions
- Peripheral neuropathy, bilateral upper extremities, Bilateral ankle condition, Peripheral neuropathy, bilateral lower extremities, Bilateral finger condition
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 19, 2022
- Citation
- 22053161
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 22053161.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board denied an initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss and remanded the service connection claims for vertigo, dry eye syndrome, and various bilateral conditions due to insufficient evidence.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for GERD and remanded the claims for bilateral ankle, knee, hip, headache, and lower back conditions due to insufficient evidence.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss as there was no current disability of hearing loss. The claims for service connection for a bilateral ankle condition, a bilateral foot condition (hallux rigidus), and bilateral plantar fasciitis were remanded due to the need for VA examinations.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the Veteran's claims for a special home adaptation and specially adapted housing due to the need for additional development, specifically an examination to determine the severity of his service-connected disabilities as they relate to loss of use of the extremities.
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