The Veteran's claims for service connection for left leg and/or ankle disability, bilateral foot disabilities, and left knee disability are being remanded due to inadequate VA examinations and the need for additional medical opinions.
The deciding factor: The AOJ did not provide adequate VA examinations or medical opinions addressing the nature and etiology of the Veteran's claimed conditions. The Board is therefore remanding the claims for further development.
- Claimed conditions
- left leg, ankle, bilateral foot
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 20, 2026
- Citation
- A26025151
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 A26025151.
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 found that new and relevant evidence was submitted to reopen the claims for service connection for various disabilities, including left knee, right knee, bilateral foot, bilateral hearing loss, left elbow, right elbow, and sleep apnea. The claims are now remanded for further adjudication.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for acid reflux, a left foot condition, and tinnitus due to lack of evidence of current disabilities or causal relationships with in-service events.
- Dismissed
The appeal to reopen the previously denied claims for service connection for bilateral foot, lumbar spine, and right leg conditions is dismissed due to the Veteran's death.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's request for an effective date earlier than June 30, 2016, for Total Disability Individual Unemployability (TDIU) because there was no factually ascertainable increase in the severity of his service-connected disabilities during the relevant period.
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