The Board has granted service connection for pes planus and degenerative arthritis of the cervical spine, finding that these conditions are at least as likely as not related to active duty service. The right knee disability and left knee disability have been remanded due to insufficient medical opinions.,Service connection for a right testicular varicocele is also granted, with the condition being attributed to an in-service personal assault.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the appellant's pes planus and cervical spine arthritis are at least as likely as not related to active duty service due to aggravation of pre-existing conditions.,For the right knee disability, left knee disability, and right testicular varicocele, the Board determined that further medical opinions were needed to establish a nexus between these disabilities and active duty service.
- Claimed conditions
- Pes Planus, Degenerative Arthritis of the Cervical Spine, Right Knee Disability (Tendinosis and Chondromalacia), Left Knee Disability (Tendinosis), Right Testicular Varicocele
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 20, 2019
- Citation
- 19187383
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,810 · Granted: 23% (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 19187383.
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 Veteran's claim for an increased rating for bilateral pes planus was denied as the evidence did not warrant a higher rating.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected degenerative arthritis of the cervical spine, lumbar disc disease, bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy, bilateral knee strains, residuals of a left ankle concussion, and bilateral pes cavus are found to be related to his obstructive sleep apnea. His claim for restoration of a 30 percent evaluation for degenerative arthritis of the cervical spine is granted.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's claims for increased disability ratings have been dismissed as the appeals were not properly initiated.,Claims related to service connection and effective dates have also been dismissed.
- Granted
The Veteran's pes planus is rated at 30 percent, the highest rating available for unilateral pes planus.
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