The Veteran's appeal for a higher rating for his lumbar spine disability prior to August 18, 2020, and from that date forward is dismissed.,The Veteran's petition to reopen the claim of service connection for a left wrist disability has been granted due to new evidence received since October 2005.,The Veteran's appeal for higher ratings for his right wrist median neuropathy and bilateral foot disabilities prior to August 18, 2020 is remanded.,The Veteran's appeals for higher ratings for his heel spurs of the left and right feet are remanded.,The Veteran's appeal for a higher rating for his bilateral flat foot disability from August 18, 2020 is remanded.
The deciding factor: The Veteran withdrew his appeal regarding his lumbar spine disability prior to the promulgation of a Board decision.,New evidence received since October 2005 relates to unestablished facts necessary to substantiate the claim for service connection for a left wrist disability, raising a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claim.,The Veteran's right wrist and bilateral foot disabilities require additional medical examination and evaluation due to conflicting medical opinions in the record.,Additional evidence is needed regarding physical therapy for the Veteran's right wrist and treatment records related to his bilateral foot disability.,Further medical examination and evaluation are necessary to determine if the Veteran has a current diagnosis of a bilateral flat foot disability.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative disc disease, Arthritis, Disc herniation of the thoracolumbar spine (lumbar spine), Left wrist disability, Right wrist median neuropathy (right wrist disability), Heel spur of the left foot with hallux valgus (left foot disability), Heel spur of the right foot with hallux valgus (right foot disability), Bilateral flat foot, plantar fasciitis, and bone spurs (bilateral foot disability)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 25, 2024
- Citation
- 24017785
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 24017785.
What this means for you
A dismissal means the Board did not decide the issue on its merits — usually because it was withdrawn or had become moot. It says more about procedure than about whether a claim like this can win.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Veteran's low back disability is currently rated at 20 percent, and the claim for a higher rating is denied. The left shoulder disability is also rated at 20 percent, but there are no incapacitating episodes to warrant a higher rating under the IVDS Formula. The TDIU claim is remanded.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for degenerative disc disease prior to August 1, 2025 was denied as the evidence did not show unfavorable ankylosis of the thoracolumbar spine.,The Veteran's claims for higher ratings for left and right lower extremity radiculopathy prior to March 10, 2025 were denied as there is no neurological impairment associated with these conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a duty-to-assist error, and will consider new evidence submitted by the Veteran.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran seeks higher initial ratings for his back disability, but the VA examinations from the period under review are inadequate. The Board finds that remand is necessary to obtain an opinion as to the severity and manifestations of the Veteran's back disability during the period under review.
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