The Veteran's pre-existing bilateral foot disability, diagnosed as pes planus, was aggravated during active service. The Board found the evidence insufficient to rebut the presumption of aggravation and granted service connection for pes planus.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner could not address whether the Veteran's condition was aggravated beyond its natural progression during active service due to wide variance in outcomes for pes planus from person to person, but later opined that it was not aggravated beyond its natural progression. The Board found this evidence insufficient to meet the clear and unmistakable standard required to rebut the presumption of aggravation.
- Claimed conditions
- pes planus, bilateral fallen arches
- How they argued it
- Aggravation of a pre-existing condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 12, 2016
- Citation
- 1646503
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 1646503.
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 Board has granted service connection for bilateral plantar fasciitis, finding that the Veteran's pre-existing pes planus condition was aggravated by service. The effective date is August 15, 2025.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral plantar fasciitis with pes planus, finding that her current condition had its onset during active military service.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's claim for service connection for pes planus was dismissed because he filed a supplemental claim after the AOJ had already addressed his initial denial, violating the AMA rule against concurrent jurisdiction.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for pes planus with plantar fasciitis, finding that the Veteran's preexisting bilateral pes planus was aggravated during active service and his bilateral plantar fasciitis is related to his service.
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