The Board found that the preponderance of evidence is against a finding that the veteran has any current bilateral foot and ankle disorders as a result of his active military service.
The deciding factor: There was no competent medical evidence showing any foot or ankle injury or disorder during service or for some 15 years after service, and the in-service statements denying foot trouble are more credible than the veteran's current assertions.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral foot disorders, bilateral ankle disorders
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- January 6, 2009
- Citation
- 0900415
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,642 · Granted: 19% (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 0900415.
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: Granted
The Board has granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that side effects from prescribed medications contributed substantially and materially to his accidental motorcycle collision resulting in fatal injuries.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
New and relevant evidence has been received to warrant readjudication of the claims of service connection for bilateral ankle disorders. The Veteran's claim will be readjudicated in order to address the new evidence of record.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied earlier effective dates for service connection and initial ratings, as well as special monthly compensation.
- Whole decision: Dismissed
The appeal for service connection for cervical spine, bilateral hip, bilateral ankle, gastrointestinal disorder, and hypertension was withdrawn by the appellant. The TDIU rating claim was denied.
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