The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for a bilateral ankle disability, an upper back disability, and a neck disability due to inadequate examination reports. The Veteran is already service connected for radiculopathy related to degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine, but he contends that his current disabilities are secondary or aggravated by this condition.
The deciding factor: The Board found the May 2010 VA examiner opinions insufficient and requested additional clarification on whether the Veteran has a separate bilateral ankle disability or functional impairment associated with bilateral ankle pain, as well as whether any of these conditions are related to service-connected degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral ankle disability, upper back disability, neck disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 1, 2023
- Citation
- 23006594
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 23006594.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for a neurological examination to determine if any diagnosed radiculopathy or other neurological disability affecting the lower extremities was caused or aggravated by service-connected conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the claim for service connection of a neck disability due to pre-decisional error in not obtaining a VA examination and medical opinion.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for neck and back disabilities due to a lack of medical evidence supporting the Veteran's assertions. The VA will obtain an examination and provide an opinion on whether these disabilities are related to service.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for a bilateral ankle disability as secondary to his service-connected bilateral knee and low back disabilities.
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