The Board has granted service connection for right and left ankle strains. The Veteran's psychiatric disorder, RLE and LLE radiculopathy, and right and left knee disabilities are remanded due to procedural errors.
The deciding factor: There were pre-decisional errors in failing to attempt to corroborate the Veteran's stressors and provide a proper examination and medical opinion regarding relationship to service or service-connected disabilities for psychiatric disorder. The VA examination was inadequate as it did not address all relevant symptoms and findings, including those related to RLE and LLE radiculopathy.
- Claimed conditions
- Right ankle strain, Left ankle strain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 29, 2024
- Citation
- A24021685
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 A24021685.
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 service connection for cervical spine strain, right wrist sprain, right knee strain, left knee strain, and right ankle strain. The disabilities are all deemed to have begun during the Veteran's active duty.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection of degenerative arthritis of the thoracolumbar spine was dismissed as a matter of law due to a full grant of benefits. The appeals for left knee and left ankle disabilities are remanded.
- Denied
The Board has denied service connection for a cervical spine disability, right ankle strain, and mild right foot retrocalcaneal spur as there is no evidence of an in-service injury or disease that could be linked to the current disabilities.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for right ankle strain and remanded the issue of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability.
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