The Board has remanded the cases due to inadequate VA examination and opinion regarding the Veteran's claimed bilateral ankle injuries. A new VA medical opinion is needed to determine if there are any current diagnoses of ankle conditions or if the Veteran's pain constitutes a disability.
The deciding factor: The previous VA examination was insufficient in determining whether the Veteran has a current diagnosis of an ankle condition or if his reported chronic bilateral ankle pain rises to the level of functional impairment as per Saunders v. Wilkie, 886 F.3d 1356 (Fed. Cir. 2018).
- Claimed conditions
- left ankle injury, right ankle injury
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 11, 2023
- Citation
- 23065451
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 23065451.
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew his appeals for initial compensable disability ratings for left and right ankle injuries, leading to the dismissal of these claims.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for a right ankle injury and sleep apnea, which were previously denied in initial decisions. The appellant is eligible for attorney fees based on the past-due benefits awarded.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal of the award of an earlier effective date for tinnitus has been withdrawn.,The Veteran's appeals for increased disability evaluations for his low back injury, right knee injury, left knee injury, left ankle injury, and bilateral hearing loss have all been dismissed as the appeal was withdrawn by the Veteran through his representative.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claims for service connection for residuals of a right ankle injury, residuals of a left knee injury, and tinnitus.
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