The Veteran's claims for higher ratings for his service-connected right foot, right ankle, and left ankle disabilities are being remanded due to the inadequacy of the January 2022 VA examinations. The Board will require additional evaluations to determine the severity of these conditions.
The deciding factor: The January 2022 VA examination reports did not include weight-bearing and non-weight-bearing range of motion measurements, which are necessary for evaluating the Veteran's ankle disabilities under the rating criteria.
- Claimed conditions
- right foot peroneal tendonitis, right ankle anterior talofibular ligament tear, left ankle fibular avulsion fracture
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 31, 2026
- Citation
- A26028873
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 A26028873.
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.
- Partly granted
The veteran's claims for service connection for right wrist DeQuervain's syndrome and TBI residuals were granted. The claim for a compensable disability rating for right knee strain was denied, but a separate 10 percent rating for painful flexion was granted. All other claims for increased ratings were denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for further development due to incomplete medical records and need for clarification on the nature of his right foot disability, as well as the progression or worsening of his bilateral pes planus with arthritis.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
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