The Board denied service connection for pes cavus of the right foot, left foot, and status post fracture with traumatic arthritis of the right foot due to lack of aggravation during service.,Service connection was not granted as the Veteran's conditions were found to be congenital diseases that pre-existed service.
The deciding factor: The Board determined that the Veteran's pes cavus of the right and left feet, and status post fracture with traumatic arthritis of the right foot, were congenital diseases noted at entry into service. The brief time spent in military service was not considered sufficient to aggravate these conditions.,Service connection could not be established as the pre-existing conditions were found to have existed prior to service.
- Claimed conditions
- pes cavus of the right foot, pes cavus of the left foot, status post fracture with traumatic arthritis of the right foot
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- January 16, 2020
- Citation
- 20003789
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 20003789.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to an inadequate VA examination, and a new one must be conducted to determine if the Veteran's pes cavus is a congenital defect or disease, and whether any additional disability was related to service.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's appeal for a higher rating for his left foot disability was denied as the evidence did not support a rating higher than 20 percent.
- Whole decision: Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew his appeals for the claims related to residuals of a left shoulder injury and pes cavus of the right foot.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has granted service connection for patellar tendonitis of the right knee and pes cavus of the right foot. Service connection is also granted for lumbar degenerative disc disease, claimed as a lower back condition, but further development is needed due to an incomplete medical record.
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