The Board remands the claim for a bilateral foot disability to correct duty-to-assist errors that occurred prior to the January 2021 rating decision.
The deciding factor: The examiner failed to consider whether the Veteran's bilateral foot disability was caused or aggravated by his service-connected disabilities, necessitating an addendum opinion.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral foot disability (plantar fasciitis)
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 24, 2024
- Citation
- A24068535
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 sinusitis and dismissed the appeal for a rating higher than 30 percent for chronic right eye iritis. Other claims for service connection were denied.
- Denied
The Board denied the claims for service connection for bilateral foot disabilities, a right knee disability, and a right elbow disability as there is no evidence of current disabilities or a link to service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for a new examination to determine the current nature and severity of the lumbosacral strain, as well as the etiology of the left and right lower extremity nerve pain and bilateral foot disability.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for right lower extremity sciatica associated with the Veteran's service-connected lumbosacral spine strain, but remanded claims for service connection for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and sleep apnea.
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