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 assigned
- None in this 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. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 20003789.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- 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.
- 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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew his appeals for the claims related to residuals of a left shoulder injury and pes cavus of the right foot.
- 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.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.