The Board denied service connection for a cervical/lumbar spine disability and granted service connection for pes planus of the left foot, both related to the Veteran's right foot pes planus.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner could not provide an opinion on whether the Veteran’s back disability was secondary to his right foot disability without resorting to speculation. The Board found that the Veteran's lay statements and private medical opinions were insufficient to support a finding of secondary service connection.
- Claimed conditions
- Cervical/lumbar spine disability, Pes planus of the left foot
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- February 1, 2019
- Citation
- 19108156
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,035 · Granted: 30% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 19108156.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is remanded for further examination and development due to pre-decisional failures of the duty to assist based on inadequate examinations.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded several claims due to the Veteran's failure to report for scheduled VA examinations and his hospitalization. The issues include rating ratings, service connection, and other disability evaluations.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim for service connection for a cervical/lumbar spine disability, to include as secondary to a left shoulder disability due to inadequate medical opinions and failure to comply with prior remand directives.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate medical opinions regarding the Veteran's cervical and lumbar spine disabilities, specifically their onset during service or relation to a left shoulder injury.
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