The Veteran is seeking service connection for various conditions including a right knee disability, bilateral pes planus, bilateral anisometropia and refractive amblyopia of the left eye, status post jaw realignment surgery, tinea pedis, and varicose veins. The Board has determined that additional development is needed to address these claims.,The Veteran seeks service connection for bilateral pes planus. He asserts he used supports in his boots during service and that his condition was aggravated by service. A VA examination found no aggravation of the preexisting disability as there were no complaints noted in service records.,The Veteran contends his left eye condition is due to debris from service, but the June 2014 VA examiner diagnosed anisometropia refractive amblyopia OS and stated it occurred during childhood. The examiner did not address whether any disability resulted from a superimposed injury to the eye or if there was aggravation of the preexisting condition.,The Veteran asserts his jaw realignment surgery is due to heart and respiratory problems he had in service, but the VA examiner found no evidence that these conditions caused his jaw disability. The examiner also did not address whether any current jaw disability resulted from a superimposed injury or if there was aggravation of the preexisting condition.,The Veteran claims tinea pedis has worsened since the June 2014 VA examination and he has sought recent VA podiatry treatment for his condition. The Board finds that an updated VA examination is needed to assess the severity of his tinea pedis.,The Veteran asserts his varicose veins have worsened since the June 2014 VA examination, but no specific issues are noted in the virtual folder regarding this claim.
The deciding factor: Additional development is required as there are conflicting opinions and lay assertions need to be considered.,The preexisting bilateral pes planus was not aggravated by service. The examiner did not consider the Veteran's lay contentions of aggravation during service.,The anisometropia refractive amblyopia OS occurred during childhood, but no superimposed injury or aggravation is noted in the service records. Further opinion is needed to address this issue.,There are conflicting opinions regarding whether the jaw realignment surgery was due to service conditions or a pre-existing condition. A VA examination is needed to clarify these issues and assess any current disability.,The Veteran's tinea pedis has worsened since the June 2014 VA examination, but no updated treatment records have been provided. An updated VA examination is required to determine the severity of his condition.,The varicose veins claim requires additional development as there are conflicting opinions and no specific issues noted in the virtual folder regarding this claim.
- Claimed conditions
- right knee sprain, degenerative joint disease, bilateral pes planus, anisometropia refractive amblyopia OS
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 7, 2017
- Citation
- 1737573
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 1737573.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
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