The Board has remanded the case for a VA medical opinion to determine if the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder is caused or aggravated by his service-connected bilateral plantar fasciitis with degenerative joint disease.
The deciding factor: The examiner must provide an opinion as to whether it is at least as likely as not that the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder is (1) caused by, or (2) aggravated by the service-connected bilateral plantar fasciitis with DJD.
- Claimed conditions
- Acquired psychiatric disorder (unspecified depressive disorder)
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 30, 2024
- Citation
- 24004481
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 178 · Granted: 37% (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 24004481.
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 Veteran's headaches are rated at a maximum of 50 percent, and the acquired psychiatric disorder is remanded for further evaluation. The left heel spur claim is also remanded to determine if bilateral plantar fasciitis or other foot disorders are related to the service-connected condition.
- Granted
The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, diagnosed as unspecified depressive disorder, is related to service and the claim for this condition is granted. The issue of diabetes mellitus secondary to the service-connected psychiatric disorder is remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for asthma, an acquired psychiatric disorder, and a back disability due to incomplete STRs and inadequate VA examinations. The claims are also remanded for further development regarding secondary service connection.
- Partly granted
The Veteran's service connection claim for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, is denied. The case for hepatitis C is remanded.
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