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Remanded (sent back)

The Board remands the claim for a left foot disability to correct a pre-decisional duty to assist error, specifically regarding an inadequate October 2024 VA examination.

The deciding factor: The October 2024 VA examination was found to be inadequate as it did not properly address the Veteran's lay statements and failed to distinguish between right and left foot pes planus.

Claimed conditions
pes planus, hallux valgus post-surgical, neuropathy
How they argued it
Direct service connection
Exposure basis
None
Rating assigned
None in this decision
Decision date
December 18, 2025
Citation
A25109377

Veterans Law Judge

D. SMART

Decisions by this judge: 857 · Granted: 35% (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 A25109377.

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.

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