The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to inadequate VA examinations and the need to correct pre-decisional duty to assist errors.
The deciding factor: The VA examinations were inadequate as they did not consider the Veteran's reports of pain and did not address why significant posttraumatic degenerative changes were pertinent to their opinions.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Pes Planus with Plantar Fasciitis, Right Foot Hallux Valgus with Osteoarthritis Great Toe, Left Foot Hallux Valgus with Osteoarthritis Great Toe, Left Metatarsalgia, Right Ankle Disability (claimed as bilateral ankle pain), Left Ankle Disability (claimed as bilateral ankle pain), Right Knee Disability (claimed as bilateral knee pain), Left Knee Disability (claimed as bilateral knee pain), Back Disability (claimed as back pain)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 17, 2024
- Citation
- A24066567
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 575 · Granted: 29% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 A24066567.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for erectile dysfunction and denied service connection for left foot tendonitis. The Veteran's gastroesophageal reflux disease and bilateral pes planus with plantar fasciitis were rated in excess of 10 percent and 50 percent, respectively.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for irritable bowel syndrome and bilateral pes planus with plantar fasciitis based on the probative evidence linking these conditions to the Veteran's active service.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection, as the evidence did not support a higher evaluation or service connection.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including his persistent depressive disorder with generalized anxiety disorder and alcohol use disorder, as well as his lumbar spine disability and bilateral pes planus with plantar fasciitis, render him unemployable. The Board has resolved all reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran, granting TDIU.
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