The Board has decided to remand the case due to a duty-to-assist error in obtaining medical opinions regarding whether the Veteran's right foot condition is caused or aggravated by his service-connected right fourth toe disability.
The deciding factor: The July 2020 Board remand ordered addendum medical opinions on causation and aggravation, but only provided an opinion addressing direct service connection without distinguishing between causation and aggravation.
- Claimed conditions
- Right Foot Condition
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 25, 2026
- Citation
- A26017057
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 A26017057.
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.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for bilateral foot conditions, finding that the Veteran experienced symptoms of right and left foot pain during service which have persisted since then.
- Denied
The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss has been rated as noncompensable and effective from February 21, 2023.,Service connection for a lumbar strain was granted with an effective date of June 7, 2021. The Veteran requested an earlier effective date but it was denied.,Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) has been service connected and the effective date is August 8, 2022.,Depressive disorder received a grant with an effective date of June 7, 2021.,Service connection for BPPV was granted as secondary to migraines.,Right hip condition and left hip condition were denied service connection.,Acne, erectile dysfunction, scars, diabetes, left foot condition, right foot condition, and retina condition were all denied service connection.
- Denied
The Board found that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities, alone or in combination, do not preclude his ability to obtain or maintain employment.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 30 percent rating for GERD and remanded the remaining claims for service connection due to insufficient medical evidence.
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