The Board denied service connection for a bilateral foot disability, knee disability as secondary to the foot disability, and ankle disability as secondary to the foot disability. The Veteran's preexisting pes planus did not increase in severity during service, so the presumption of aggravation does not apply. The Veteran's current hammer toes are not related to his military service.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the Veteran's preexisting pes planus did not worsen during service and thus the presumption of aggravation does not apply. Additionally, there is no evidence linking the Veteran's current hammer toes (and subsequent toe amputations) to in-service events.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Foot Disability, Bilateral Knee Disability, Bilateral Ankle Disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 22, 2018
- Citation
- 18128385
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 18128385.
What this means for you
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