The Board has denied the veteran's claims for increased evaluations for his heart disorder and pes planus, finding that the evidence does not meet the criteria for a higher rating under the applicable diagnostic codes.
The deciding factor: The VA examination reports do not show more than one episode of acute congestive heart failure in the past year or workload greater than 3 METs but not greater than 5 METs resulting in dyspnea, fatigue, angina, dizziness, or syncope for hypertension. For pes planus, the evidence does not indicate chronic or acute congestive heart failure, left ventricular dysfunction with an ejection fraction of 30 to 50 percent.
- Claimed conditions
- Heart Disorder, Pes Planus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- July 31, 2006
- Citation
- 0622788
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,464 · Granted: 14% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 0622788.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for bilateral pes planus was denied as the evidence did not warrant a higher rating.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the service connection claims for Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Heart Disorder due to a duty to assist error in obtaining opinions regarding whether these conditions are aggravated by the Veteran's service-connected acquired psychiatric disorder.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for a heart disorder and OSA, as secondary to a heart disorder due to incomplete records and failure to consider all relevant in-service exposures. The Veteran's exposure to PFAS at Robins AFB is acknowledged, but further development is needed to address his COPD and smoking history.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's pes planus is rated at 30 percent, the highest rating available for unilateral pes planus.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.