The Board has determined that the October 1984 rating decision denying service connection for gouty arthritis of the bilateral feet contained clear and unmistakable error. The effective date for the grant of service connection is set at April 10, 1981, as this was the earliest date on which a claim for service connection could be considered filed.
The deciding factor: The October 1984 rating decision denied service connection due to lack of evidence of gout. However, VA medical records from that time showed diagnoses of gout and the Veteran reported symptoms dating back to his period of active service.
- Claimed conditions
- gouty arthritis
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- September 30, 2011
- Citation
- 1136874
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 1136874.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including diabetes, generalized anxiety and major depressive disorder, DJD, and gouty arthritis, rendered him unable to secure or maintain substantially gainful employment as of May 8, 2001. As a result, the Board has granted an earlier effective date for TDIU from that date.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea and erectile dysfunction as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected conditions, but remanded claims for gouty arthritis and a right knee disorder.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a rating of 100 percent for gouty arthritis since April 8, 2008, and denied an initial rating in excess of 60 percent prior to that date.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand several claims related to the Veteran's gouty arthritis of the knees, including increased ratings and SMC based on need for regular aid and attendance. The reasons include obtaining retrospective medical opinions, addressing deficiencies in previous examinations, and reviewing SSA records.
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