The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection for right ankle lateral collateral ligament sprain/strain, left ankle lateral collateral ligament sprain/strain, right foot hallux valgus, and left foot stress fracture are remanded due to duty-to-assist errors.
The deciding factor: The Board found that there were duty-to-assist errors in obtaining all relevant medical records and securing addendum opinions.
- Claimed conditions
- right ankle lateral collateral ligament sprain/strain, left ankle lateral collateral ligament sprain/strain, right foot hallux valgus, left foot stress fracture
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 13, 2024
- Citation
- A24045937
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 A24045937.
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 appeal was dismissed due to their death during the pendency of the appeal. The Board cannot issue a decision on the merits as they have no jurisdiction.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to errors in considering all conditions and a need for an addendum opinion regarding the relationship between the Veteran's current right great toe / foot disability and his claimed frostbite injury.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed all appeals for service connection and increased rating claims due to untimely Notice of Disagreement submissions.
- Denied
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings were denied as he failed to report for scheduled VA examinations. The TDIU claim was granted due to the combined effects of his service-connected disabilities.
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