The Board remands the claim for an adequate VA etiology opinion due to a lack of clear conclusions and supporting data in the previous examination.
The deciding factor: The private treatment records contradict the VA examiner's opinion, making it inadequate.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral foot arthritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 5, 2025
- Citation
- 25014587
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 896 · Granted: 51% (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 25014587.
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 withdrew the appeals for service connection for bilateral hand arthritis and bilateral foot arthritis, and they have been dismissed.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for various foot conditions due to a need for additional medical opinions.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for tinea pedis and bilateral foot arthritis, but denied service connection for diabetes mellitus type II. For the increase rating period from July 22, 2022, a maximum 60 percent rating for tinea versicolor was granted.
- Dismissed
The appeal for service connection for bilateral plantar fasciitis, bilateral foot metatarsalgia, bilateral hammertoes, and bilateral foot arthritis was dismissed due to the Veteran's death.
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