The Board has remanded the service connection appeals for right foot pes cavus, left foot pes cavus, left foot hallux valgus, right foot hammer toes, and left foot hammer toes due to insufficient medical opinions addressing the Veteran's credible account of in-service boot size issues.,The addendum opinions are needed to determine if the current conditions were clearly and unmistakably not related to service.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the existing medical opinions did not adequately consider the Veteran's credible account of wearing undersized boots during service, which caused foot pain and may have contributed to the development of pes cavus, hallux valgus, hammer toes, or other conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- Right Foot Pes Cavus, Left Foot Pes Cavus, Left Foot Hallux Valgus, Right Foot Hammer Toes, Left Foot Hammer Toes
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 19, 2022
- Citation
- 22070359
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 22070359.
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
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