The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a bilateral foot condition, finding that there was no evidence of aggravation during active service and concluding that his current foot disability is due to natural progression.
The deciding factor: The pre-existing pes planus did not worsen beyond normal progression during service, as evidenced by the lack of formal treatment in STRs and consistent PULHES profiles. The Veteran's current foot problems are attributed to natural aging rather than service aggravation.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral pes planus
- How they argued it
- Aggravation of a pre-existing condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 16, 2020
- Citation
- 20004146
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,836 · Granted: 31% (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 20004146.
What this means for you
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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 determined that the Veteran's current bilateral pes planus is not service-connected due to a duty-to-assist error, and remands the case for further examination and opinion.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for SMC(o) was denied as he could not receive multiple awards of SMC(l). The right shoulder bicipital tendonitis rating was denied, and the TDIU claim was granted.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral pes planus preexisted service and was aggravated by service, warranting a grant of service connection.
- Denied
The Veteran's bilateral pes planus with bilateral plantar fasciitis is rated at 50 percent disabling, which is the maximum schedular rating permitted for acquired flatfoot. The appeal is denied.
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