The Board found that the veteran's pes planus pre-existed his entrance into both periods of active duty military service and did not increase in severity during either period. The claims for secondary service connection for back, bilateral hip, bilateral knee, and bilateral ankle conditions were denied as there was no legal basis to establish such connections.
The deciding factor: The veteran's pes planus pre-existed his entrance into both periods of active duty military service and did not increase in severity during either period. The Board found that the veteran lacked legal grounds to establish entitlement to secondary service connection for back, bilateral hip, bilateral knee, and bilateral ankle conditions as they were not related to his pes planus.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral pes planus, Back condition, Left hip condition, Right hip condition, Left knee condition, Right knee condition, Left ankle condition, Right ankle condition
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 7, 2006
- Citation
- 0610234
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.
- Granted
The Board granted earlier effective dates of November 5, 2021, for the grants of service connection and eligibility for DEA benefits.
- Partly granted
The Board denied an initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss and remanded the service connection claims for vertigo, dry eye syndrome, and various bilateral conditions due to insufficient evidence.
- Denied
The Board denied readjudication of the claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, aphthous ulcers, a right elbow condition, an enlarged prostate, a right ankle disorder, and a left ankle disorder as no new and relevant evidence was received.
- Partly granted
The Veteran's service connection claim for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include alcohol use disorder, unspecified depressive disorder with anxious distress, and PTSD was granted. Other claims for various conditions were denied.
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