The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the Veteran's right and left foot disabilities. The Veteran is seeking separate ratings for his foot conditions, which are currently rated together.
The deciding factor: The examination provided by the VA did not substantially comply with the November 2022 remand directives as it was not authored by a podiatry specialist and its rationale does not address whether the Veteran's conditions are equivalent to existing diagnostic codes for foot injuries.
- Claimed conditions
- talipes equinovarus deformity, metatarsus adductus, stress fractures, talonavicular arthritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 7, 2024
- Citation
- 24006558
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 24006558.
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.
- Granted
The Board has granted readjudication of the claim for service connection of shin splint, right lower extremity due to new and relevant evidence. However, the Veteran's claims have been denied as there is no persuasive medical evidence supporting a current diagnosis or in-service etiology of shin splints.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for service connection are remanded due to the need for additional development of his medical records and examination.,The Veteran's claim for a back disorder secondary to bilateral pes planus is also remanded as there is insufficient evidence regarding the nature and progression of his foot condition during service.,The Veteran's claim for bilateral hearing loss is also remanded due to the need for additional development of his medical records and examination.,The Veteran's claim for asbestosis is also remanded as there are outstanding VA treatment records that may be relevant to his case.,The Veteran's claim for sleep apnea is also remanded as there are outstanding VA treatment records that may be relevant to his case.,The Veteran's claim for a heart disorder is also remanded due to the need for additional development of his medical records and examination.,The Veteran's claim for hypertension is also remanded due to the need for additional development of his medical records and examination.,The Veteran's claim for diabetes mellitus is also remanded due to the need for additional development of his medical records and examination.,The Veteran's claim for stress fractures is also remanded as there are outstanding VA treatment records that may be relevant to his case.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence and need for further examination. The veteran's claim of service connection for a bilateral foot condition is pending.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus but has remanded the issue of service connection for a bilateral foot disability due to lack of examination and further medical opinion.
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