The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate VA medical opinions regarding the Veteran's left foot and ankle disabilities. The Veteran asserts that his current conditions are related to a line of duty injury in June 1986, but the VA medical opinions did not adequately address this claim.
The deciding factor: The VA medical opinions were based on an inaccurate factual basis as they misstated the Veteran's medical history and did not consider his competent statements regarding continuous symptomatology since service.
- Claimed conditions
- Left Foot Sprain, Left Ankle Sprain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 8, 2023
- Citation
- A23035169
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 A23035169.
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 PTSD, sleep apnea, hypertension, right MCA stroke with left-sided hemiplegia and major neurocognitive impairment, headaches, left ankle sprain, cervical sprain, and lumbar disc disease are all granted as secondary to service-connected conditions.
- Granted
The Board has granted restoration of the Veteran's ratings for his service-connected right and left ankle disabilities from 30% to 10%, effective November 1, 2020.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an initial 10 percent rating for bilateral hearing loss but denied a higher rating and also denied an increased rating for left ankle sprain.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for increased ratings and service connection due to the need for additional medical opinions regarding functional ankylosis and aggravation of obstructive sleep apnea by service-connected disabilities.
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