The Veteran's petition to reopen service connection for a bilateral foot condition was granted due to the submission of new and material evidence indicating that his feet were damaged during basic training.,The petition to reopen service connection for a left arm condition was denied as the submitted evidence did not relate to an unestablished fact necessary to substantiate the claim, specifically because the Veteran's current left arm scar is attributed to his own willful misconduct.
The deciding factor: New and material evidence has been received that indicates the Veteran currently has a bilateral foot condition related to service.,The submitted evidence did not provide new information about an unestablished fact necessary for reopening the claim, such as a diagnosis or in-service injury, but rather focused on the interpretation of STRs regarding the arm condition.
- Claimed conditions
- {"condition_name":"Bilateral Foot Condition"}, {"condition_name":"Left Arm Condition (identified as right arm in service treatment records)"}, {"condition_name":"Condition of the Teeth for Compensation Purposes"}, {"condition_name":"Brain Aneurysm"}
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 28, 2020
- Citation
- 20006398
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
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