The Veteran's bilateral pes planus and right foot hallux valgus have been rated based on their service-connected status. The Board has found that the current ratings do not adequately reflect the severity of these conditions.,Service connection for lumbar strain is being remanded due to insufficient evidence.
The deciding factor: The objective medical evidence does not support a higher rating for bilateral pes planus or right foot hallux valgus based on the criteria provided in the rating schedule.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Pes Planus, Right Foot Hallux Valgus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 17, 2019
- Citation
- 19138380
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,642 · Granted: 19% (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 19138380.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for an initial compensable rating for athletes' foot and a greater than 30 percent rating for bilateral pes planus have been dismissed due to untimely VA Form 10182 submissions.,The Veteran's claim of service connection for chronic fatigue syndrome has been remanded.
- Granted
The Veteran's service connection for traumatic brain injury is granted, and he is awarded a higher level of SMC based on the need for aid and attendance due to his service-connected PTSD and additional disabilities.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to insufficient medical evidence in the file on which to decide these claims. The appellant's VA treatment records contain diagnoses of GAD and OSA, and he reported symptoms related to his disabilities during service. A new examination and opinion are required to determine if the acquired psychiatric disorder is associated with service, as well as for OSA and bilateral pes planus and plantar fasciitis.
- Granted
The Board has granted a higher initial rating of 100 percent for PTSD effective April 3, 2024, and assigned an earlier effective date of August 29, 2024, for allergic rhinitis. The Veteran's claim for DEA benefits and a higher initial rating for bilateral pes planus is denied.
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