The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for gout of the bilateral feet, finding that there was no nexus between his current disability and military service or his service-connected disabilities. The Board determined that the evidence did not support a direct relationship and found insufficient secondary service connection based on existing medical research.
The deciding factor: The preponderance of evidence did not support a nexus between the Veteran's gout and either military service or his service-connected conditions, including diabetes mellitus type II and lower extremity surgeries.
- Claimed conditions
- gout of the bilateral feet
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 8, 2020
- Citation
- 20065591
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.
- Granted
The Board granted a 30 percent rating for gout of the bilateral feet, but no higher.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remanded the claim for service connection for diabetes mellitus, including as secondary to other service-connected conditions. The Veteran's theory is that his diabetes was caused by obesity resulting from his service-connected gout, lower back strain, and right ankle bursitis.
- Partly granted
The veteran's service connection for GERD and tinnitus was granted, but denied for gout of the bilateral feet and bilateral hearing loss.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, effective from the date of the February 2025 rating decision.
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