The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral foot disability is not related to service, and thus denied his claim for service connection.,Regarding the secondary service connection claim for a bilateral knee disability, the Board found insufficient evidence linking the knee disability to the claimed in-service injury. The Board also noted that there was no service-connected disease or injury from which the current knee disability could be considered secondary.
The deciding factor: The preponderance of the evidence does not support a finding that the Veteran's current bilateral foot disability is related to his active service, as evidenced by in-service treatment for metatarsalgia and toenail problems resolving prior to separation from service. The examiner opined that the Veteran’s current condition began many years after service.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Foot Disability, Bilateral Knee Disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 16, 2020
- Citation
- 20079381
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 20079381.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD and bilateral knee disability must be remanded due to duty-to-assist errors. The Veteran's reported stressors need to be verified, and a VA examination is required to address the etiology of his bilateral knee condition.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for a bilateral foot disability and migraine disability, both secondary to existing service-connected disabilities.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for a bilateral foot disability, finding that it is at least as likely as not caused by his service-connected psychiatric disability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for hypertension, right and left knee disability, bilateral foot disability, and TDIU due to pre-decisional duty to assist errors.
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