The Board has granted service connection for left and right ankle/foot disabilities, but the case is remanded for a new VA examination to determine if the Veteran's current hearing loss disability had its onset during or is otherwise related to his active service.
The deciding factor: The Veteran reported incidents of hazardous military noise exposure as a result of operating heavy equipment, which may be relevant to his claimed hearing loss.
- Claimed conditions
- left ankle/foot disability, right ankle/foot disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 20, 2023
- Citation
- 23051824
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 23051824.
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 Board denied service connection for left knee, left ankle/foot, and TBI disabilities due to a lack of evidence supporting the existence of current disabilities. The claims for left hip, right hip, and right knee disabilities were remanded for further examination.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for lumbar spine, left knee, and left ankle/foot disabilities based on the Veteran's reported in-service fall. The Board found that her current conditions are at least as likely as not related to her military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the cases for further development due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the relationship between the Veteran's lumbar spine, left knee, and left ankle/foot disabilities and her active service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that there was not substantial compliance with the prior remand directives and has therefore remanded the claims for lumbar spine, left knee, and left ankle/foot disabilities due to military service.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.