The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a bilateral foot disability, finding that there was no evidence of an in-service injury or disease resulting in current disabilities and that any preexisting conditions did not worsen during service. The Board also found that the Veteran’s current symptoms are more likely related to his service-connected lumbar spine strain than to cold injuries sustained in service.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found no evidence of an in-service injury or disease resulting in current disabilities and determined that any preexisting conditions did not worsen during service. The Board also noted that the Veteran's current symptoms are more likely related to his service-connected lumbar spine strain than to cold injuries sustained in service.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral foot disability, congenital pes cavus, plantar fibroma, peripheral neuropathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 9, 2020
- Citation
- 20065803
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for bilateral foot disability, respiratory disability (breathing difficulty), cardiac disability (irregular heartbeat), and right hip disability as there was no evidence of a current disability or a link to active service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a bilateral foot disability to obtain an addendum medical opinion addressing whether the Veteran's pre-existing pes planus was aggravated by service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for spinal stenosis, peripheral neuropathy, and bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy to correct pre-decisional duty to assist errors.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for multiple disabilities, including bilateral wrist, ankle, foot, shoulder, allergic rhinitis, sinusitis, lumbosacral spine, and carpal tunnel syndrome, as the evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were related to active service.
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