The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for right and left lower extremity nerve damage, as secondary to pes planus. The VA examiner's opinion was not sufficient to address whether the nerve damage is related to the service-connected pes planus or if it got worse due to the pes planus.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner did not provide an opinion on whether the bilateral lower extremity neurological disability was caused by the service-connected bilateral pes planus, nor did they assess whether the disability worsened due to the pes planus.
- Claimed conditions
- right lower extremity nerve damage, left lower extremity nerve damage
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 3, 2023
- Citation
- 23054688
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 23054688.
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 back condition, right lower extremity nerve damage, left lower extremity nerve damage, and residuals of a right-hand injury as the Veteran does not have current diagnoses for these conditions.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for multiple conditions, including cervical spine, chronic fatigue, and various nerve damages, as the evidence did not support a finding of a current disability related to in-service events.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for left upper extremity nerve damage, right upper extremity nerve damage, left lower extremity nerve damage, right lower extremity nerve damage, lung cancer, and emphysema.
- Dismissed
The appeal was dismissed because the Veteran did not timely file a Board Appeal request with respect to the rating decision issued on September 24, 2021.
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