The Board has determined that the Veteran's right ankle ligament strain and right heel calcaneal spur are not service-connected, but has found that they may be related to his service-connected left ankle disability. The case is being remanded for further development.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner did not find a direct link between the Veteran's service-connected left ankle disability and his claimed right ankle ligament strain or right heel calcaneal spur, but found that these conditions may be related to the stress created by the service-connected left ankle disability.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic right ankle ligament strain, right heel calcaneal spur
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 24, 2023
- Citation
- 23004294
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 23004294.
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 has granted a disability rating of 30 percent for bilateral plantar fasciitis with right heel calcaneal spur, effective from June 28, 2008. The decision resolves doubt in favor of the Veteran's claim.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's right ankle ligament strain is being remanded for further evaluation due to insufficient rationale in the previous medical opinion.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
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