The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral feet onychomycosis, bilateral plantar fasciitis with heel spur and tenosynovitis, right foot hammer toes, and left foot hammer toes due to insufficient evidence regarding their etiology. The appellant is required to undergo a VA examination to determine if these conditions are related to service.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the current diagnoses of bilateral feet disabilities may be related to active service but no VA examination has been obtained to establish this relationship.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral feet onychomycosis, bilateral plantar fasciitis with heel spur and tenosynovitis, right foot hammer toes, left foot hammer toes
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 17, 2023
- Citation
- 23039408
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 23039408.
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 service connection for bilateral foot disability, finding that the Veteran's symptoms began during his active duty in Vietnam and have persisted since then. The Board determined that there is sufficient evidence to support a direct link between the Veteran's current condition and his military service.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for service connection and evaluations for sleep apnea, headache disability, right foot hammer toes, and left foot hammer toes have been dismissed.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for higher ratings for bilateral pes planus with bilateral plantar fasciitis, heel spurs and tenosynovitis, left foot hammer toes, and right foot hammer toes has been granted. A 50 percent rating is assigned for the period from October 30, 2023, and a 10 percent rating is assigned for each of the left and right feet.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for left foot hammer toes and left ankle sprain, as secondary to the service-connected left knee condition due to inadequate addendum medical opinions. Further remand is required to obtain adequate opinions addressing the possibility of aggravation.
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