The Board remands the claim for a VA examination to determine if the Veteran's left ankle degenerative arthritis is related to his active duty service.
The deciding factor: A remand is necessary due to an unfulfilled pre-decisional duty to assist, as there was no VA examination despite evidence suggesting a possible in-service incurrence of the condition.
- Claimed conditions
- left ankle degenerative arthritis
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 20, 2025
- Citation
- A25025848
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 an increased rating of more than 20 percent for left ankle degenerative arthritis from February 19, 2024.
- Denied
The Board denied the claims for service connection for left knee, right ankle, and left ankle degenerative arthritis as there is no evidence of a current disability; in-service incurrence or aggravation of a disease or injury; and a nexus between the claimed in-service disease or injury and the present disease or injury.
- Partly granted
The Board granted the restoration of a 20 percent rating for radiculopathy in both lower extremities and an initial 20 percent rating for left ankle degenerative arthritis, while denying a compensable rating for right hallux valgus.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an initial increased rating of 20 percent, but no higher, prior to August 6, 2021, for left ankle degenerative arthritis and denied an increased rating above 20 percent since August 6, 2021.
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