The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for a left foot disability and right below the knee amputation, including as due to a service-connected right knee disability. The evidence did not establish a direct or secondary relationship between these disabilities and active service.
The deciding factor: The newly received evidence was cumulative and redundant of previous evidence, failing to show an etiological link between the Veteran's current left foot disability and active service.
- Claimed conditions
- left foot ulcer, Charcot joint of the left foot, foot ulcers
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 18, 2017
- Citation
- 1712501
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 1712501.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's additional disabilities, including kidney failure, septic shock, and foot ulcers, were caused by VA care due to the hospital's failure to exercise the degree of care expected of a reasonable healthcare provider.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for left foot ulcer and neurogenic bladder as secondary to service-connected disabilities, including obesity. The VA is required to provide an addendum medical opinion addressing whether the Veteran's service-connected conditions caused or aggravated his obesity, and if so, whether it was a substantial factor in causing or aggravating his left foot ulcer and/or neurogenic bladder.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for GERD, bilateral dry eyes, and foot ulcers. The conditions are considered to have been incurred during active duty.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for the left leg below-the-knee amputation, finding that VA did not fail to properly treat his condition and that the proximate cause of the amputation was the chronicity of osteomyelitis despite weeks of antibiotic therapy.
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.