The Board has decided to remand the case due to a predecisional duty to assist error, requiring further examination and opinion regarding the Veteran's bilateral ankle condition.
The deciding factor: The examiner is requested to address whether the Veteran's in-service bone spur and/or heel spur injury could have caused him to develop a left ankle condition and subsequently a right ankle condition.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral ankle condition
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 7, 2026
- Citation
- A26001417
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 A26001417.
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 remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to inadequate development of evidence, specifically failing to provide a VA examination or medical opinion regarding his claimed bilateral ankle, knee, low back, and left shoulder conditions. The claims are being returned to the AOJ for further action.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's previously denied claim for bilateral ankle condition is dismissed.,New evidence supports the readjudication of claims for service connection for right knee, bilateral foot, and lumbosacral strain conditions.
- Dismissed
The Veteran has withdrawn all pending appeals, including those related to service connection for various conditions and a rating for migraines and erectile dysfunction.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for bilateral knee and ankle conditions, finding that the Veteran's current diagnoses are related to her in-service injuries.
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