The Board remands the issues of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder and a bilateral foot disability, to include bilateral pes planus, bilateral plantar fasciitis, bilateral metatarsalgia, and bilateral hallux valgus, for additional development.
The deciding factor: The addendum opinions provided were found inadequate due to reliance on the lack of in-service treatment or diagnosis and failure to address the Veteran's lay statements regarding harassment and in-service symptoms. A new examination is required to properly assess the claims.
- Claimed conditions
- Acquired psychiatric disorder, Bilateral foot disability, to include bilateral pes planus, bilateral plantar fasciitis, bilateral metatarsalgia, and bilateral hallux valgus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 5, 2023
- Citation
- 23000743
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 Board granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, finding a causal relationship between the condition and an in-service incident of military sexual trauma (MST).
- Granted
The Board granted a separate rating of 10 percent for bilateral plantar fasciitis effective February 1, 2023.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the issue of entitlement to service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for bilateral metatarsalgia as there is no evidence of a current disability.
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