The Board has decided to remand the claims for bilateral flatfeet and an acquired psychiatric disorder due to a duty-to-assist error. The Veteran's pes planus was noted on entry, but there is uncertainty about whether it worsened during service. For the psychiatric claim, the Veteran had treatment for depression in service, and the Board finds that remand is needed to determine if his current condition is related to service.
The deciding factor: The Board found a duty-to-assist error regarding both claims due to insufficient medical opinions on whether the Veteran's conditions worsened during service or are otherwise related to service.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral flatfeet (pes planus), acquired psychiatric disorder, claimed as major depressive disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 12, 2024
- Citation
- A24037733
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 A24037733.
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 bilateral flatfeet (pes planus), bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus, all of which are related to the Veteran's military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including new VA examinations and medical opinions regarding his claims of tinnitus, an acquired psychiatric disorder (claimed as major depressive disorder), and eczema of the feet.
- 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.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
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