The Board remands the claims for service connection for left foot osteoarthritis, left hallux valgus, right hallux valgus, and right foot strain due to a need for VA examinations and medical opinions.
The deciding factor: Remand is necessary as there are pre-decisional duty to assist errors, specifically the failure to provide VA examinations or medical opinions to assess the nature and etiology of the claimed disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- left foot osteoarthritis, left hallux valgus, right hallux valgus, right foot strain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 31, 2025
- Citation
- A25029264
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 945 · Granted: 43% (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 A25029264.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's service connection claims for various conditions were granted effective from July 1, 2020.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the cases of bilateral pes planus, left hallux valgus, and right hallux valgus due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for a left 5th metatarsal fracture, as well as secondary service connection for left foot and ankle osteoarthritis to the same condition. The decision is based on evidence that supports these claims.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for a rating in excess of 10 percent for left hallux valgus, status post lapidus skin bunionectomy with internal fixation of metatarsophalangeal joint is dismissed as the Veteran withdrew her appeal.
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