The Veteran's appeal for a higher disability rating for his service-connected left ankle Achilles tendonitis is remanded due to the need for a new VA examination to assess the severity of the condition, as previous examinations did not include range of motion testing.
The deciding factor: The Board found that previous VA medical examinations were inadequate because they did not include range of motion testing, which is required by regulation and necessary to evaluate the Veteran's disability under the rating criteria.
- Claimed conditions
- left ankle Achilles tendonitis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 3, 2026
- Citation
- A26009798
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 A26009798.
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 remands the claims for service connection for bilateral pes planus, plantar fasciitis, ankle Achilles tendonitis, and knee patellofemoral syndrome to correct pre-decisional duty to assist errors.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his bilateral knee and ankle conditions, as well as scars, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the current level of disability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that there are duty to assist errors in the prior decision and remands the case for further development.
- Granted
The Veteran's initial ratings for left and right ankle Achilles tendonitis from November 1, 2016 to January 13, 2020 have been granted at a noncompensable (10%) level.
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