The Board has determined that the VA examinations did not fully consider the Veteran's lay statements regarding his symptoms and history. Therefore, the issues of service connection for torn tendons in both ankles, lower back condition, and left knee condition are being remanded to obtain a new examination.
The deciding factor: The previous VA examinations failed to adequately address the Veteran's lay statements about his ongoing symptoms since service.
- Claimed conditions
- torn tendons, left ankle condition, torn tendons, right ankle condition, lower back condition, left knee condition
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 31, 2023
- Citation
- 23020163
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 23020163.
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal was dismissed due to their death during the pendency of the appeal.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for both a lower back condition and a cervical spine condition, finding that the evidence did not support a nexus between these conditions and service.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew their appeal regarding the service connection for a lumbar condition and left knee condition, resulting in the dismissal of these issues.
- Granted
The Veteran's erectile dysfunction is granted as secondary to his service-connected neoplasm of the kidney with frequent urination.,Service connection for a left knee condition, an acquired psychiatric disorder (anxiety), and a bilateral foot condition are dismissed.
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