The Board has determined that the VA examination provided by the RO was inadequate and remands the case for a new examination to determine if the Veteran's current right ankle disability is related to her active military service.
The deciding factor: The examiner failed to consider the Veteran's reports of ongoing ankle impairment following her April 1981 injury in service, which could support a finding that her current disability is related to her active service.
- Claimed conditions
- Right ankle lateral collateral ligament sprain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 15, 2026
- Citation
- A26035007
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 A26035007.
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 Board denied the Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates as they were received more than one year after her intent to file a claim, and no good cause extension was requested.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's right ankle disability has been granted service connection. The Veteran's right hip trochanteric pain syndrome is remanded for further review.
- Denied
The Veteran's right ankle lateral collateral ligament sprain is currently rated at 10 percent, and the Board has determined that a higher rating is not warranted based on the evidence of record.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 20 percent rating for bilateral lower and upper extremity rheumatoid arthritis but denied higher ratings for the right ankle sprain and a compensable rating for tuberculosis.
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