The Board found that the veteran's bilateral flat feet condition existed prior to service and did not increase in severity during her period of active duty. Therefore, it was determined that the condition was not incurred or aggravated by service.
The deciding factor: The pre-existing flat feet condition was noted at the time of entry into service and was considered to have existed prior to service without any aggravation during service.
- Claimed conditions
- flat feet
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 17, 2004
- Citation
- 0415477
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 0415477.
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 appeal for service connection for flat feet and leg pain as secondary to flat feet was dismissed due to an impermissible concurrent election of administrative review options. The initial rating in excess of 10 percent for GERD with hiatal hernia and Barrett's esophagus was denied.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for flat feet and a back disability as there was no evidence of a current diagnosis or that the conditions were related to the Veteran's active service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for flat feet, irritable bowel syndrome, duodenal gastritis, and fecal incontinence to correct pre-decisional duty to assist errors.
- Dismissed
The appeal was dismissed due to an improper concurrent election of review types.
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