The Board remands the claim for service connection for bilateral flatfoot (pes planus) to obtain a medical opinion addressing direct service connection.
The deciding factor: A pre-decisional duty to assist error exists as no VA examiner has opined whether the claimed condition is at least as likely as not related to service, including participation in road marches during service.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral flatfoot (pes planus)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 1, 2025
- Citation
- A25030143
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 service connection for chronic fatigue syndrome, erectile dysfunction, bilateral flatfoot (pes planus), generalized anxiety disorder, persistent depressive disorder (dysthymic disorder), hypertension, pilonidal cyst, and sleep apnea due to a lack of evidence supporting the claims.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for right ear and left ear hearing loss, an increased rating for depressive disorder with anxiety disorder and insomnia, and an increased rating for bilateral plantar fasciitis. The issues of entitlement to service connection for bilateral flatfoot (pes planus) and right lower extremity radiculopathy were remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for bilateral flatfoot (pes planus), bilateral plantar fasciitis, left ankle disability, and right ankle disability to obtain a new medical opinion.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, effective from the date of the February 2025 rating decision.
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