The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for bilateral flat foot disability and toenail/foot fungus (onychomycosis) due to a lack of adequate medical examination and opinion, as well as potential duty-to-assist errors. The Veteran is required to undergo VA examinations to determine if his conditions are related to service.
The deciding factor: The Board finds that the AOJ did not provide an adequate VA examination or medical opinion regarding the relationship between the Veteran's preexisting flat foot disability and toenail/foot fungus (onychomycosis) and his active duty service, which constitutes a duty-to-assist error. The Veteran is therefore required to undergo further examinations.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Flat Foot Disability, Toenail/foot fungus (Onychomycosis)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 23, 2024
- Citation
- A24020532
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 A24020532.
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 Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD, an acquired psychiatric disorder, sinusitis, a degenerative arthritis of the spine, intervertebral disc syndrome, and lumbosacral strain (claimed as low back disability), and bilateral flat foot disability due to inadequate VA examinations and lack of evidence regarding the relationship between these conditions and service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional examinations to determine the nature and etiology of his claimed hip, knee, psychiatric, and low back disabilities. The appeals are also remanded for a VA examination to determine if any current psychiatric disability is secondary to service-connected bilateral foot disability.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral flat foot disability warrants a 30 percent rating prior to June 19, 2013, based on symptoms including pain, swelling, calluses, and flattening of the arches.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.