The Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for PTTD with arthritis, status post-surgery right foot with post-operative infection was denied. The effective date for the grant of service connection for pes planus of the right foot was also denied.
The deciding factor: The preponderance of evidence did not show that the Veteran's service-connected right foot/ankle disorder warranted a rating in excess of 10 percent, and there was no valid claim for an earlier effective date as the evidence did not support a finding of pes planus prior to December 15, 2015.
- Claimed conditions
- Posterior Tibial Tendon Dysfunction (PTTD), Arthritis, Pes Planus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- February 22, 2021
- Citation
- 21009317
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 21009317.
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 Veteran's claim for an increased rating for bilateral pes planus was denied as the evidence did not warrant a higher rating.
- Granted
The Veteran's pes planus is rated at 30 percent, the highest rating available for unilateral pes planus.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a duty-to-assist error in previous examinations, requiring additional information on right shoulder ROM measurements without medication effects.
- Granted
The Veteran's disability ratings for low back disability and right lower extremity radiculopathy have been reduced from 40% and 10%, respectively, to 20% and 0%. The reduction was based on improvements shown in recent VA examinations.
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