The Board has decided to remand the cases for further development due to insufficient information regarding whether the Veteran's bilateral feet disabilities are secondary to his service-connected right knee disability.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner must provide an opinion on whether the Veteran's diagnosed bilateral feet disabilities were caused by or are proximately due to his service-connected right knee disability, and if they underwent an incremental increase (aggravation) by his service-connected right knee disability.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral plantar fasciitis with heel spur, left foot hammer toes, right foot hammer toes
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 23, 2024
- Citation
- 24009016
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 24009016.
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's appeals for service connection and evaluations for sleep apnea, headache disability, right foot hammer toes, and left foot hammer toes have been dismissed.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for higher ratings for bilateral pes planus with bilateral plantar fasciitis, heel spurs and tenosynovitis, left foot hammer toes, and right foot hammer toes has been granted. A 50 percent rating is assigned for the period from October 30, 2023, and a 10 percent rating is assigned for each of the left and right feet.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for left foot hammer toes and left ankle sprain, as secondary to the service-connected left knee condition due to inadequate addendum medical opinions. Further remand is required to obtain adequate opinions addressing the possibility of aggravation.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for his service-connected right median nerve and carpal tunnel syndrome was granted with a 30 percent rating effective August 8, 2023. The Board also remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for sleep apnea as secondary to PTSD.
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