The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for left and right ankle tendinitis, as secondary to a service-connected knee condition. The VA examiner is required to provide an opinion on whether the ankle conditions are proximately due to or aggravated by the service-connected knee condition.
The deciding factor: A new medical opinion is needed to determine if the Veteran's bilateral ankle tendinitis is caused by or aggravated by his service-connected left knee disability, considering the aggravation prong of secondary service connection.
- Claimed conditions
- left ankle tendinitis, right ankle tendinitis
- How they argued it
- Aggravation of a pre-existing condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 3, 2024
- Citation
- 24005993
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 24005993.
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 Veteran's claims for left ankle tendinitis, right ankle tendinitis, sleep apnea, and both knee conditions are denied as there is no evidence of an in-service injury or disease that could be linked to these conditions.,The Veteran's claim for left knee patellofemoral pain syndrome is denied because the medical records do not establish continuity of care from service.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection, finding that the evidence did not support higher or additional ratings.
- Granted
The Board granted a rating of 20 percent for left and right ankle tendinitis, as the Veteran's dorsiflexion was shown to be less than 5 degrees or plantar flexion less than 10 degrees during the appeal period.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for status post hysterectomy, right ankle tendinitis, and recurrent urinary tract infections.
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