The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for pes planus, bilateral detached retinas, and left ankle arthritis. The Board found that there was no clear and unmistakable evidence of aggravation by service and concluded that these conditions were not incurred or aggravated by military service.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner determined that the Veteran's pes planus clearly existed prior to service and was not aggravated beyond its natural progression by an in-service event, injury, or illness.
- Claimed conditions
- pes planus, bilateral detached retinas, left ankle arthritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 31, 2017
- Citation
- 1749202
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 1749202.
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 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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