The Board found that the appellant's bilateral pes planus was not incurred in or aggravated by military service and denied his claim. The right shoulder arthritis was rated at 10 percent, which is the maximum rating available under Diagnostic Code 5203.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not show an increase in severity of the bilateral pes planus as a result of military service and it was characterized as congenital. For the right shoulder disability, the Board found that the appellant's range of motion did not meet criteria for higher ratings under Diagnostic Codes 5201 or 5203.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral pes planus, arthritis of the right shoulder, arthritis of the left shoulder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- December 9, 2002
- Citation
- 0217757
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 0217757.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew the appeals for service connection for bilateral pes planus, obstructive sleep apnea, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for multiple conditions, including an acquired psychiatric disorder, sleep apnea, hypertension, and various musculoskeletal and skin disabilities.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for bilateral pes planus based on aggravation of a preexisting disability, but denied service connection for right and left knee disabilities.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for bilateral pes planus, anemia, and gastritis as the conditions were not shown to be related to or aggravated by service.
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