The Board denied a rating in excess of 10 percent for right foot plantar fasciitis and remanded the claims for increased ratings for bilateral knee disabilities due to an inadequate VA examination.
The deciding factor: The June 2023 VA examination was found to be inadequate as it did not address the Veteran's lay statements suggesting possible bilateral knee instability, which is a required element in evaluating these conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- right foot plantar fasciitis with history of heel spur and degenerative joint disease, right knee patellofemoral pain syndrome with patellofemoral arthropathy with limitation of flexion, left knee patellofemoral pain syndrome with patellofemoral arthropathy, meniscal degeneration, quadriceps/patellar tendinosis, and popliteal cyst, with limitation of flexion, left knee instability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 19, 2025
- Citation
- A25025508
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 Board dismissed the appeal for service connection for bilateral knee instability and denied service connection for right and left knee instability, finding no nexus between the Veteran's knee conditions and his service or service-connected disabilities.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the issues of entitlement to increased ratings for a thoracolumbar spine disorder and bilateral knee disorders due to the need for additional VA examinations.
- Denied
The Board denied restoration of the 30 percent ratings for left knee arthritis (flexion), left knee strain arthritis (extension), and left knee instability, as well as a 20 percent rating for left ankle chronic sprain. The Veteran's claims for increased ratings were also denied.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for right knee gout and a rating of 50 percent for the Veteran's right wrist condition, while remanding several other issues related to his knees and instability.
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