The Veteran's bilateral pes planus was reduced from 50 percent to 30 percent, but the rating was restored.,The Veteran is found unemployable due to his service-connected disabilities and receives a TDIU.,SMC based on loss of use of one or both feet is denied as there is no anatomical loss or loss of use of a hand due to service-connected disabilities.,SMC based on loss of use of the left hand is also denied.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's bilateral pes planus was restored from 30 percent to 50 percent, resolving the issue in his favor.,The evidence shows that the Veteran is unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation due to service-connected disabilities.,There is no anatomical loss of use of one or both feet or left hand attributable to service-connected disabilities.,The Veteran's non-service connected CVA does not affect his ability to work.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral pes planus, left knee injury, fracture, left wrist
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 50%
- Decision date
- October 21, 2019
- Citation
- 19179966
Veterans Law Judge
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 19179966.
What this means for you
A dismissal means the Board did not decide the issue on its merits — usually because it was withdrawn or had become moot. It says more about procedure than about whether a claim like this can win.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied the Appellant's requests for earlier effective dates for his service connection for bilateral pes planus and gynecomastia scar residuals, finding that the earliest possible effective dates are the dates of receipt of the claims.
- Denied
The Veteran's hypertension, bilateral pes planus, PTSD, and anxiety were all denied as service connection was not established based on the evidence of record.,Bilateral pes planus was denied due to lack of current diagnosis.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for treatment purposes only under Chapter 17 for various conditions, including cervical spine condition, right upper extremity nerve condition, left upper extremity nerve condition, headache condition, right wrist condition, left wrist condition, right elbow condition, left elbow condition, right shoulder condition, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), bilateral pes planus, right ankle disorder, left ankle disorder, and left knee disorder.
- Denied
The Veteran's bilateral pes planus is rated at 30 percent, which does not meet the criteria for a higher rating. The Board denied his claim for a higher rating as his pes planus did not result in pronounced flatfoot with marked pronation, extreme tenderness of plantar surfaces of the feet, or marked inward displacement and severe spasm of the Achilles' tendon on manipulation. For TDIU, the Veteran was granted from March 2, 2019, based on his service-connected disabilities rendering him unable to obtain and follow a substantially gainful occupation.
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