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Denied

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for a compensable disability rating for bilateral pes planus, finding that there was no factual basis to support such a date and that VA treatment records did not document receipt of an informal claim.

The deciding factor: There is no evidence showing that the Veteran’s service-connected bilateral pes planus worsened within one year prior to his June 19, 2012 increased rating claim or that he had submitted any informal claims for increased benefits related to this condition before then.

Claimed conditions
bilateral pes planus
How they argued it
Direct service connection
Exposure basis
None
Rating assigned
50%
Decision date
July 21, 2020
Citation
20048719

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 20048719.

What this means for you

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