The Board denied service connection for bilateral congenital pes planus, an acquired psychiatric disorder, and gout due to a lack of evidence supporting a link between these conditions and the Veteran's active military service.
The deciding factor: The June 2021 VA examiner opined that there was clear and unmistakable evidence that the Veteran's pes planus did not worsen during his service. For the psychiatric disorder, the December 2019 VA examiner found no evidence to support a diagnosis of PTSD or a direct link between the in-service event and current depression.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral congenital pes planus, Acquired psychiatric disorder (depression and PTSD), Gout, bilateral feet
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 3, 2022
- Citation
- 22000136
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 remands the claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, right hand tremors, left hand tremors, gout, and chronic kidney disease to obtain outstanding VA treatment records and provide a medical examination.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 100 percent disability rating for PTSD and denied an earlier effective date. The claims for service connection for various conditions were remanded.
- Partly granted
The Board granted the reopening of claims for service connection for a heart disorder, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and gout. The remaining claims were remanded for further development.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew the appeal for service connection claims related to bilateral knees, bilateral feet, tinnitus, OSA, acquired psychiatric disability, and pilonidal cyst.
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