The Board has reopened the previously denied claim of service connection for bilateral flat foot and granted it based on aggravation during service. The Veteran's pre-existing condition was found to have been aggravated by his military service.
The deciding factor: The Board found that there is a rebuttable presumption of aggravation due to combat hardships, which established the need to prove no increase in severity beyond natural progression.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral flat foot
- How they argued it
- Aggravation of a pre-existing condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 4, 2019
- Citation
- 19125135
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,199 · Granted: 25% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted 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. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 19125135.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to new evidence received, and a need for additional medical opinions considering the Veteran's military occupation as a water safety survival instructor.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and bilateral flat foot due to inadequate opinions from previous VA examiners. The claims will be reconsidered with new examinations.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims of entitlement to a compensable rating for pansinusitis and service connection for bilateral flat foot are being remanded due to inadequate medical opinions in the prior decision.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for bilateral flat foot with an effective date of June 21, 2023. The Veteran's claim was continuously pursued and the appeal is granted.
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