The Board has granted service connection for left ankle strain but has remanded the issue of service connection for left lower extremity venous insufficiency due to potential toxic exposure risk activities (TERA) during active military service. The Veteran's representative raised a theory that the disability may be caused by his service-connected pulmonary sarcoidosis.
The deciding factor: The Board is unable to make a determination on the service connection for left lower extremity venous insufficiency without additional medical opinions considering potential toxic exposure risk activities and the relationship to the Veteran's service-connected pulmonary sarcoidosis.
- Claimed conditions
- left ankle strain, left lower extremity venous insufficiency
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- Gulf War
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 7, 2026
- Citation
- A26031364
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 A26031364.
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.
- Denied
The Veteran's annual clothing allowance for a foot and ankle brace in the 2022 calendar year was denied because the evidence did not show that any such brace tended to wear out or tear his clothing.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for left ankle strain, finding that there is clear and unmistakable evidence that the condition preexisted active service and was not aggravated by service. The appeal is dismissed.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board is remanding the cases due to an incomplete record and a need for additional information regarding applications filed prior to March 9, 2020.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for left ankle strain, left knee strain, and bilateral hip strain due to a lack of etiology opinions in the record.
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