Citation Nr: 21071732 Decision Date: 12/01/21 Archive Date: 12/01/21 DOCKET NO. 17-45 737 DATE: December 1, 2021 REMANDED Entitlement to service connection for a left foot condition is remanded. REASONS FOR REMAND The Veteran served on active duty from December 1981 to March 1983. In January 2020, a videoconference hearing was held before the undersigned Veterans Law Judge (VLJ). A transcript is of record. In March 2020 and June 2021, the Board of Veterans' Appeals (Board) remanded this matter for additional development. Entitlement to service connection for a left foot condition is remanded. The Veteran seeks service connection for a left foot condition, which he contends is etiologically related to service, to include as secondary to a service-connected knee condition. In September 2020, a VA medical opinion was obtained to address whether the Veteran's left foot condition is etiologically related to his service-connected knee condition. The examiner opined that it was pathophysiologically implausible that the narrowing of the MTP joints of the great toes was proximately due to the Veteran's service-connected bilateral knee conditions or aggravated beyond its natural progression by the service-connected bilateral knee conditions. See September 2020 VA Medical Opinion. The September 2020 VA examiner did not, however, provide any rationale for her conclusion that the Veteran's left foot condition is not etiologically related to his service-connected bilateral knee conditions and thus the opinion is conclusory. Additionally, the September 2020 VA examiner did not address the January 2020 private medical opinion from L.B., which found that the Veteran's chronic left knee pain precipitated an antalgic gait and thereby increased pressure and forces applied to his feet, ankles, hips, and lumbar spine. Accordingly, the Board finds that VA's duty to assist necessitates that this claim be remanded in order to obtain a new VA medical opinion consistent with the directives herein. The matter is REMANDED for the following action: Obtain a VA medical opinion from an appropriate examiner to determine the etiology of the Veteran's left foot condition. The claims folder (including a copy of this remand) must be provided to and reviewed by the examiner. All clinical findings should be reported in detail. Based on a review of the evidence of record, the examiner should respond to the following: (a.) The examiner should opine as to whether it is at least as likely as not (i.e., 50 percent probability or greater) that the Veteran's left foot condition was caused or aggravated by his service-connected bilateral knee conditions. In rendering the above opinion, the examiner must specifically consider and discuss the January 2020 private medical opinion that suggested the Veteran's chronic left knee pain precipitated an antalgic gait and thereby increased pressure and forces applied to his feet, ankles, hips, and lumbar spine. The examiner is advised that the Veteran is competent to report his symptoms/history and that such reports must be acknowledged and considered in formulating any opinion. If his reports are discounted, the examiner should provide a reason for doing so. A rationale for all requested opinions shall be provided. If the examiner cannot provide an opinion without resorting to mere speculation, he or she shall provide a complete explanation stating why this is so. In so doing, the examiner shall explain whether the inability to provide a more definitive opinion is the result of a need for additional information or that he or she has exhausted the limits of current medical knowledge in providing an answer to that particular question. A. ISHIZAWAR Veterans Law Judge Board of Veterans' Appeals Attorney for the Board Talton, John H. 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.