The Board has determined that the VA examinations and medical opinions provided are inadequate, and thus the case is being remanded to obtain addendum opinions from appropriate clinicians regarding the nature and etiology of the Veteran's claimed bilateral lower extremity disorders (to include varicose veins, bilateral hip degenerative arthritis, bilateral knee strain, and left knee meniscal tear) and bilateral foot disorders (to include bilateral hammer toes, bilateral foot degenerative arthritis, bilateral calcaneal spurs, and bilateral achilles enthesopathy/achilles tendinitis).
The deciding factor: The Board finds the VA examinations to be inadequate as they improperly relied on the lack of in-service diagnosis of a chronic disease, lack of continuous treatment post-service, and/or the disorders not being a chronic disease for presumptive service condition.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral lower extremity disorders (to include bilateral varicose veins, bilateral hip degenerative arthritis, bilateral knee strain, and left knee meniscal tear), bilateral foot disorders (to include bilateral hammer toes, bilateral foot degenerative arthritis, bilateral calcaneal spurs, and bilateral achilles enthesopathy/achilles tendinitis)
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- October 14, 2022
- Citation
- 22057822
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 22057822.
What this means for you
A remand sends an issue back for more development, often a new examination or missing records. It does not award the benefit or decide the final outcome. The original decision explains the additional work ordered.
What you can do next
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