The Board has granted a 20% rating for the left ankle disability effective April 20, 2018. The Veteran's claims for increased ratings prior to April 20, 2018 and since that date are being remanded due to outstanding treatment records and inadequate retrospective opinions. Additionally, service connection for left lower extremity numbness and an acquired psychiatric disability is also being remanded.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's claims require additional development as there are outstanding medical records and insufficient retrospective opinions regarding the nature of his ankle disability and its effects on other conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- left Achilles tendonitis, left lower extremity numbness
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 7, 2025
- Citation
- 25000153
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,934 · Granted: 41% (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 25000153.
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 Veteran's claims for increased ratings for left Achilles tendonitis and residual scars subsequent to left Achilles tendon repair were denied by the Board. The decision is binding only with respect to these specific matters.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to issues related to a TDIU and an increased evaluation for left Achilles tendonitis. The Veteran's service-connected conditions have rendered her unable to work during certain periods, but further review is needed.
- Dismissed
Your appeals for service connection and increased rating were not timely filed, so your attempts to appeal have been dismissed.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for an initial increased rating for bilateral foot disabilities, left Achilles tendonitis, and right Achilles tendonitis to obtain additional medical opinions regarding the effects of medications on the severity of these conditions.
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