The Board has found that new medical opinions are needed to determine if the Veteran's bilateral foot disabilities and hammertoes of the left foot are related to his military service. The case is being remanded for this purpose.
The deciding factor: The previous medical opinions did not address the Veteran's lay reports regarding the onset of symptoms during service and post-service, which were directed by the Board in prior remands.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral pes cavus, degenerative joint disease of the interphalangeal joints of the right foot, bilateral inferior calcaneal spurs, bilateral hallux valgus, bilateral hammertoes
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 5, 2024
- Citation
- 24001034
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,677 · Granted: 26% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 24001034.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the VA examinations are inadequate for rating purposes and thus remands the case to obtain a new examination. The issues include determining whether bilateral hallux valgus and/or acquired pes cavus are secondary to sesamoiditis, whether there is a neurological disability of the right great toe, and whether there was a period of convalescence following the July 2022 sesamoidectomy.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities render him unemployable from performing all forms of substantially gainful employment that are consistent with his education and occupational experience, granting entitlement to TDIU.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to inadequate medical opinions regarding his bilateral knee and foot conditions. The Veteran is seeking service connection for these conditions, which are currently found to be related to active duty.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has denied service connection for allergic rhinitis, hypertension, tinea pedis, bilateral pes planus, and bilateral hallux valgus. The Veteran's claims for PTSD and bilateral sciatica are remanded for further development.
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