The Board granted service connection for bilateral foot disability, left and right toe disabilities, and bilateral hip and knee disabilities based on the Veteran's credible lay statements regarding in-service onset of pain that has persisted since service.
The deciding factor: The evidence is at least evenly balanced as to whether the Veteran's current disabilities are related to her in-service marching and walking which caused excessive wear and tear on her feet, toes, hips, and knees. The Board resolved reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral foot disability, manifested by pain, left foot toe disability, manifested by pain, right foot toe disability, manifested by pain, bilateral hip disability, manifested by pain, bilateral knee disability, manifested by pain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 5, 2023
- Citation
- 23000704
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
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 service connection claim for a bilateral knee disability to correct a pre-decisional duty to assist error, including scheduling an additional VA examination.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the appeals for service connection for a bilateral knee disability, bilateral upper and lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, lumbar spine disability, cervical spine disability, and chronic pain syndrome due to untimely notices of disagreement.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for bilateral foot disability, respiratory disability (breathing difficulty), cardiac disability (irregular heartbeat), and right hip disability as there was no evidence of a current disability or a link to active service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a bilateral foot disability to obtain an addendum medical opinion addressing whether the Veteran's pre-existing pes planus was aggravated by service.
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