Citation Nr: 20003946 Decision Date: 01/16/20 Archive Date: 01/16/20 DOCKET NO. 18-54 099 DATE: January 16, 2020 REMANDED Entitlement to service connection for left foot condition is remanded. Entitlement to service connection for right foot condition is remanded. REASONS FOR REMAND The Veteran served on active duty in the U.S. Marine Corps from April 1999 to August 2002. This appeal to the Board of Veteran’s Appeals (Board) arose from a March 2018 rating decision by the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) Regional Office (RO). The Veteran has perfected the appeal. See April 2018 Notice of Disagreement; September 2018 Statement of the Case (SOC); November 2018 Substantive Appeal (VA Form 9). After a thorough review of the Veteran's claims file, the Board has determined that additional evidentiary development is necessary prior to the adjudication of the Veteran’s claims of entitlement to service connection for foot conditions. The Veteran contends that he currently suffers from bilateral foot conditions due to his service. The Veteran states that he has had foot issues since boot camp. He explains that his feet were constantly soaked in sweat and water and describes having “jungle rot.” The Veteran admits to not reporting his symptoms in service because he felt it was not that big of an issue until after being out of service. He states that his feet are constantly swollen and have horrible scent. The Veteran explains that his military duties involved him constantly jumping in and out of the motor vehicles. The Veteran added that the boots issued to him did not have proper padding and very little insulation. The Veteran’s DD Form 214 indicates the Veteran’s military occupational specialty (MOS) as a logistics vehicle systems operator. The Veteran was also stationed in Camp Lejeune. The Board finds that the Veteran statements regarding his duties, including constantly wearing wet boots to be consistent with the places, types, and circumstances of his service. The Board finds that the Veteran is competent to report any symptoms regarding his feet and his boots. Affording the Veteran the benefit of the doubt, the Board finds that a remand is necessary in order to provide the Veteran an examination to determine if the Veteran has a left or right foot condition due to his duties in service. The matters are REMANDED for the following action: 1. Provide the Veteran an opportunity to identify any pertinent treatment records for his claimed foot conditions. The Agency of Original Jurisdiction (AOJ) should secure any necessary authorizations. Additionally, all updated VA treatment records should be obtained. If any requested outstanding records cannot be obtained, the Veteran should be notified of such. 2. Schedule the Veteran for a VA examination to determine the existence and cause of any left or right foot condition that he may now have. All indicated evaluations, studies, and tests deemed necessary by the examiner should be accomplished, to include range of motion studies and repetitive use testing. The claims file should be made available to the examiner for review. After record review and examination, the VA examiner should offer his or her opinion with supporting rationale as to the following inquiries: (a) Does the Veteran have a current diagnosis of a left or right foot condition? If so, please provide the diagnosis for each foot. (b) If the Veteran does have a current diagnosis of any foot condition, is it at least as likely as not (50 percent or greater probability) that the Veteran's condition was incurred in, caused by, or etiologically related to the Veteran's service? When rendering the opinion for each foot, the examiner should consider and address: 1) The physical activities, tasks and demands of the Veteran's MOS. 2) The Veteran’s assertions regarding wearing wet boots with little to no padding and little insulation. (Continued on the next page)   (c) If there is no diagnosis of a left or right foot condition, and only pain is identified in the affected joint(s), note whether pain alone results in functional impairment and note the functional limitation caused by such pain. The basis for each opinion is to be fully explained with a complete discussion of the pertinent lay and medical evidence of record and sound medical principles, including the use of any medical literature or studies, which may reasonably explain the medical analysis in the study of this case. DEBORAH W. SINGLETON Veterans Law Judge Board of Veterans’ Appeals Attorney for the Board S. Middleton, Associate Counsel The Board’s decision in this case is binding only with respect to the instant matter decided. This decision is not precedential, and does not establish VA policies or interpretations of general applicability. 38 C.F.R. § 20.1303.