The Board remands the claims for service connection for bilateral metatarsalgia, medial subtalar dislocation of the right foot, left foot hallux valgus, and right foot hallux valgus to obtain additional medical opinions.
The deciding factor: The VA examiners did not adequately consider the Veteran's lay statements regarding continuity of symptoms or provide a rationale for their opinions.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral metatarsalgia, medial subtalar dislocation of the right foot, left foot hallux valgus, right foot hallux valgus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 5, 2024
- Citation
- A24072031
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for bilateral metatarsalgia as there is no evidence of a current disability.
- Partly granted
The Board denied increased ratings for the Veteran's back, right ring finger, and left foot hallux valgus disabilities but granted an initial 30 percent rating for pes planus from August 17, 2021, a 50 percent rating for pes planus from December 15, 2023, and a separate 10 percent rating for bilateral plantar fasciitis from August 17, 2021.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for a left hip disability and remanded claims for right foot hallux valgus, left foot hallux valgus, right hip disability, and right shoulder disability due to inadequate medical opinions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the issue of entitlement to service connection for bilateral metatarsalgia as further development is required.
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