The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral flatfeet, bilateral ankle disability, tinnitus, perforation of the right ear drum, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and headaches have been granted. The claim for service connection for lumbar spondylosis (residuals, low back strain) has also been granted.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the Veteran's preexisting bilateral flatfeet were aggravated by military service, leading to a grant of service connection on an aggravation basis. The other claims were granted based on current disability and presumed service connection due to reported symptoms during active duty.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Flatfeet (Pes Planus), Bilateral Ankle Disability, Tinnitus, Perforation of Right Ear Drum, Diabetes Mellitus, Type II, Hypertension, Headaches, Lumbar Spondylosis (Residuals, Low Back Strain)
- How they argued it
- Aggravation of a pre-existing condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 7, 2019
- Citation
- 19184066
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,604 · Granted: 65% (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 19184066.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are not related to his military service.
- Denied
The Board denied the claim of service connection for hypertension, finding that it did not manifest during service and is not causally related to the Veteran's exposure to herbicides or service.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between his current condition and active duty service or herbicide exposure.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for a higher rating for PTSD and dismissed his appeals regarding increased ratings for tinnitus and a right hand disability due to lack of timely filing of Notice of Disagreement.
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