The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate examination report and failure to consider the effects of medication on the Veteran's left ankle disability.
The deciding factor: The examination report did not fully comply with the Court's holding in Correia, as it did not specify whether the range-of-motion testing was conducted in active motion, passive motion, in weight-bearing, or nonweight-bearing. The examiner also noted that the Veteran treats his left ankle with over-the-counter medication and did not clarify to what degree this affects the severity of the disability.
- Claimed conditions
- Left ankle fracture
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 21, 2026
- Citation
- A26036751
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 A26036751.
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 appeal for higher ratings for major depressive disorder, left ankle fracture, and left knee strain was denied. The Veteran is not entitled to a rating in excess of 30 percent for his major depressive disorder or an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for his left ankle fracture. However, he is granted service connection for the left knee strain as secondary to his right knee strain.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for a right hip condition, including need for replacement, secondary to the Veteran's service-connected left ankle fracture.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for residuals of a left ankle fracture, finding no clear and unmistakable error in the September 21, 2005 rating decision.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for right and left ankle disabilities due to insufficient medical opinions addressing the onset of these conditions during service or their relation to service, including the Veteran's reported jumping off tanks.
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