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Whole decision: Denied

The Board denied service connection for pes planus, arthritis of the right knee, and arthritis of the left knee. The Veteran's current diagnoses were not found to be related to his in-service conditions.

The deciding factor: The VA examiner provided an opinion that the Veteran's current respiratory disability was less likely as not related to service, attributing it to other medical issues such as ascites and possible right-sided heart failure. For the knees, the VA examination did not find a direct link between the in-service injuries and the current conditions.

Claimed conditions
Pes planus, Respiratory disability to include bronchitis, Arthritis of the right knee, Arthritis of the left knee
How they argued it
Direct service connection
Exposure basis
None
Rating
Not verified here — check the original decision
Decision date
May 25, 2011
Citation
1120465

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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 1120465.

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.

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