The Board has remanded the cases due to incomplete development, specifically the need for additional medical records and an examination of the Veteran's bilateral ankle conditions.
The deciding factor: Incomplete development was noted, including a lack of certain private medical records and inadequate examination regarding the nature and severity of the Veteran's service-connected bilateral ankle conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- left ankle strain with degenerative joint disease, right ankle strain with degenerative joint disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 24, 2023
- Citation
- 23040405
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 23040405.
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.
- Denied
The Veteran's appeal for service connection of a right ankle condition and left ankle strain with degenerative joint disease was denied due to the untimely filing of the Board Appeal requests.
- Denied
The Board denied increased ratings for tinnitus, left ankle degenerative joint disease, and surgical scars, as well as earlier effective dates for service connection for right ankle strain with degenerative joint disease, right Charcot foot, and right lower extremity radiculopathy.
- Partly granted
The Board denied several claims for increased ratings and service connection, granted a 20% rating for left hip, hamstring recurrent strain, limitation of flexion, and remanded the claim for obstructive sleep apnea.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the cases for further development to determine if the Veteran's conditions of left knee DJD (limitation of extension) and limitation of flexion, as well as left ankle strain with degenerative joint disease, were present prior to the effective dates assigned in the July 2021 decision.
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