The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral foot gout, finding that there was no in-service injury or disease related to gout and no evidence of a nexus between the current condition and military service.
The deciding factor: The VA opinion found that the Veteran’s gout is less likely than not related to his military service due to lack of documentation of gout during service and its diagnosis occurring 30 years post-service.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral foot gout
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 9, 2021
- Citation
- 21021142
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 21021142.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral foot gout and sleep apnea due to a duty-to-assist error. The Veteran's gout is being examined again, and an in-home sleep study should be conducted for his sleep apnea claim.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has granted an earlier effective date of January 28, 2019 for the establishment of entitlement to SMC based on aid and attendance. The issue of a disability rating in excess of 30 percent for residuals of tonsillectomy with dysphagia is remanded due to duty-to-assist errors.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has granted an earlier effective date of January 28, 2019 for the establishment of entitlement to SMC based on aid and attendance. The issue of a disability rating in excess of 30 percent for residuals of tonsillectomy with dysphagia is remanded due to duty-to-assist errors.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, hypertension, and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) require additional development due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error.
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