The Veteran's service connection claim for rheumatoid arthritis has been granted, as the evidence is at least evenly balanced in favor of the Veteran.,Service connection has also been granted for bilateral pes planus on an aggravation basis. The preexisting condition worsened during service.
The deciding factor: The June 2021 VA examination found that rheumatoid arthritis was related to joint pain symptoms since separation from service, and the Board resolved reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran.,The December 2015 and 2019 VA examinations concluded that the preexisting bilateral pes planus worsened during service due to continuous foot pain reported by the Veteran.
- Claimed conditions
- rheumatoid arthritis, bilateral pes planus, frostbite residuals of the bilateral feet
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 20, 2023
- Citation
- 23003614
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 23003614.
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 Veteran's rheumatoid arthritis disability rating is being remanded for additional development due to significant weight loss and anemia.
- Denied
The Board denied the Appellant's requests for earlier effective dates for his service connection for bilateral pes planus and gynecomastia scar residuals, finding that the earliest possible effective dates are the dates of receipt of the claims.
- Denied
The Veteran's hypertension, bilateral pes planus, PTSD, and anxiety were all denied as service connection was not established based on the evidence of record.,Bilateral pes planus was denied due to lack of current diagnosis.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for treatment purposes only under Chapter 17 for various conditions, including cervical spine condition, right upper extremity nerve condition, left upper extremity nerve condition, headache condition, right wrist condition, left wrist condition, right elbow condition, left elbow condition, right shoulder condition, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), bilateral pes planus, right ankle disorder, left ankle disorder, and left knee disorder.
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