The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for bilateral hip and knee disabilities, left ear hearing loss, and tinnitus due to their secondary relationship to a pre-existing foot disability. The claim for bilateral pes planus on the basis of in-service aggravation is granted.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's pre-existing bilateral pes planus was aggravated by his service, evidenced by increased foot pain during basic training and use of orthotic inserts.
- 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
- October 8, 2020
- Citation
- 20065645
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Board granted earlier effective dates of November 5, 2021, for the grants of service connection and eligibility for DEA benefits.
- Partly granted
The Veteran's service connection claim for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include alcohol use disorder, unspecified depressive disorder with anxious distress, and PTSD was granted. Other claims for various conditions were denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for an adequate VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of any right foot disability, including consideration of bilateral pes planus.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for a total disability rating due to individual unemployability (TDIU) as it was not factually ascertainable that he was unable to obtain or maintain substantially gainful employment prior to April 28, 2016.
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