The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a left foot condition, finding that there is no evidence to support a link between his current symptoms and his service-connected disabilities. The Veteran's obesity was not found to be an intermediate step in causing his left foot condition.
The deciding factor: The preponderance of the evidence does not support a finding that the Veteran's left foot conditions are related to his service-connected disabilities, including his ankle disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- left foot hallux valgus, left foot mild pes planus, degenerative joint disease of the first metatarsophalangeal joint
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 30, 2021
- Citation
- 21071230
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 21071230.
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal was dismissed due to their death during the pendency of the appeal. The Board cannot issue a decision on the merits as they have no jurisdiction.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew all appeals regarding his service-connected conditions and related disability ratings, effective as of March 16, 2026.
- Denied
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings were denied as he failed to report for scheduled VA examinations. The TDIU claim was granted due to the combined effects of his service-connected disabilities.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to incomplete medical records and inadequate examination opinions. The Veteran is seeking treatment for his left foot hallux valgus, pes planus, right fifth finger traumatic injury with arthritis, but the VA examinations did not consider all relevant evidence.
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