The Board has determined that the Veteran's osteoarthritis of the right ankle, left ankle, and bilateral pes planus are related to his military service, specifically his in-service parachute jumps. As a result, the claims for these conditions have been granted.
The deciding factor: Both the VA examiner and Dr. D.L. concluded that the Veteran’s current bilateral ankle and foot disorders were at least as likely as not related to his period of active duty service due to his in-service parachute activity.
- Claimed conditions
- Osteoarthritis of the right ankle, Osteoarthritis of the left ankle, Bilateral pes planus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 17, 2018
- Citation
- 18103237
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 18103237.
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 claim for service connection for osteoarthritis of the right ankle was granted with an initial evaluation of 10 percent effective September 17, 2018. The Board has now granted a higher rating but is remanding to determine if an even higher rating is warranted.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral pes planus is not service-connected due to a duty-to-assist error, and remands the case for further examination and opinion.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for SMC(o) was denied as he could not receive multiple awards of SMC(l). The right shoulder bicipital tendonitis rating was denied, and the TDIU claim was granted.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral pes planus preexisted service and was aggravated by service, warranting a grant of service connection.
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