The Board has remanded the claims for a left foot disorder and plantar keratosis to obtain additional opinions regarding causation and aggravation by service-connected pes planus.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner is required to provide separate findings and rationales for causation and aggravation of each condition.
- Claimed conditions
- left foot degenerative changes in the metatarsal head, left plantar fibroma, left hallux valgus status post bunionectomy, plantar keratosis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 5, 2026
- Citation
- 26000048
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 26000048.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has denied service connection for plantar keratosis and remanded the issues of service connection for left ankle lateral collateral ligament sprain, a left foot disorder, and a right foot disorder due to insufficient evidence.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for left plantar fibroma and degenerative arthritis of the left foot, as well as a temporary total evaluation based on surgery of the left foot. The Veteran's current diagnoses are not related to his military service.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for compensation under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151 was denied because the additional disability (persistent pain and numbness in the left foot) is not considered to be caused by VA treatment, and there is no evidence of carelessness, negligence, lack of proper skill, error in judgment, or similar instance of fault on the part of VA.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims are being remanded due to the need for new examinations and additional medical records. The service connection claim for left plantar fibroma is inextricably intertwined with the temporary total disability rating claim.
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