The Board has determined that the VA examination provided in connection with this appeal was inadequate for rating purposes and therefore remands the case for a new examination to assess the severity of the Veteran's bilateral ankle disabilities.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner did not provide sufficient detail regarding the Veteran's range of motion, flare-ups, and functional loss during repetitive use over time, which are required for proper evaluation under Diagnostic Code 5271.
- Claimed conditions
- lateral collateral ligament sprain of the right ankle, lateral collateral ligament sprain of the left ankle
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 10, 2026
- Citation
- A26021725
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 A26021725.
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 Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional examinations and medical opinions.
- Dismissed
The Board has granted service connection for various hip, ankle, and knee conditions. However, the Veteran did not appeal these decisions to the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (CAVC), so the claims are dismissed.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for right shoulder, thoracolumbar spine, and ankle disabilities based on their relationship to the Veteran's active service.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for cervical strain and degenerative disc disease (DDD) of the cervical spine, DDD of the lumbar spine and lumbosacral strain, and lateral collateral ligament sprain of the right ankle based on a finding that these conditions are due to an injury during service.
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