The Veteran's claim for service connection for DDD was granted, with the Board finding that the evidence is at least in equipoise that his current diagnosis of DDD began during active service or is otherwise related to an in-service injury or disease.,The Veteran's claim for reopening of service connection for bilateral pes planus and secondary plantar fascitis was granted. The Board found new and material evidence had been received, allowing the claim to be reopened.
The deciding factor: The decision is based on the equipoise between the Veteran’s current DDD diagnosis and his in-service activities as a paratrooper.,The reopening of service connection for pes planus was granted due to new evidence provided by the Veteran, including medical records and hearing testimony.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative Joint and Disk Disease (DDD), lumbar spine, Bilateral pes planus with secondary plantar fascitis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 17, 2019
- Citation
- 19194378
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 19194378.
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.
- Granted
The veteran was granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to his service-connected disabilities.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for right knee strain, left knee strain, lumbar radiculopathy of the right lower extremity, and lumbar radiculopathy of the left lower extremity. It also granted initial ratings for various disabilities including a 20 percent rating for lumbar degenerative disc disease with intervertebral disc syndrome, spondylosis, and spondylolisthesis, a 30 percent rating for labral tear, including superior labral anterior-posterior lesion, status post surgical repair, and higher ratings for other conditions.
- Dismissed
The appeal for earlier effective dates for lumbar spine and bilateral lower extremity sciatica was dismissed due to a procedural defect in the docketing of the appeal.
- Dismissed
The appeal to reopen the previously denied claims for service connection for bilateral foot, lumbar spine, and right leg conditions is dismissed due to the Veteran's death.
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