The Board has remanded the cases for further examinations and consideration of service connection claims due to lack of recent evaluations.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's hallux valgus conditions have not been evaluated in over five years, and the Board finds that new examinations are necessary to determine their current severity.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative arthritis of the cervical spine, Left foot hallux valgus, Right foot hallux valgus, Temporomandibular joint dysfunction, Gastroenteritis, Meniere's Disease with vertigo, Osteoarthritis of the lumbar spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 12, 2023
- Citation
- 23002203
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 23002203.
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 Veteran's claim for increased ratings for degenerative arthritis of the cervical spine and lumbar spine was granted with effective dates of May 13, 2019.
- Denied
The Veteran's VR&E benefits were denied as she did not have an employment handicap and was found to be employable with her current skills, experience, and education. The appeal must be denied.
- Granted
The Veteran's right foot hallux valgus was granted service connection effective July 17, 2019. The effective date is set at the date of receipt of his claim for an increased rating for bilateral pes planus, which included a secondary claim for right foot hallux valgus.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for degenerative arthritis of the lumbar and cervical spine are being remanded due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error. The AOJ is directed to obtain an addendum medical opinion that addresses the extent of flareups experienced by the Veteran.
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