The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and MDD, is granted as secondary to his service-connected disabilities. His initial rating for bilateral pes planus prior to August 24, 2020, remains at 10 percent; however, a higher rating of 50 percent is assigned from that date onwards.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder is aggravated by his service-connected headaches and thus granted as secondary. The current rating for bilateral pes planus prior to August 24, 2020, remains at 10 percent due to the absence of more severe symptoms. Since August 24, 2020, he has a higher 50 percent rating based on extreme tenderness and other associated symptoms.
- Claimed conditions
- Acquired psychiatric disorder, Bilateral Pes Planus
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- February 8, 2023
- Citation
- 23008088
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 23008088.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a low back disability and an increased rating for his acquired psychiatric disorder. The Board found that there was no evidence linking the current disabilities to military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for a determination on whether injuries sustained in a November 2001 incident were in the line of duty. The claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder is also remanded due to its interdependence with the line of duty issue.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to a duty to assist error in failing to obtain private treatment records from the Veteran's treating clinician.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date of August 13, 2018, for the award of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder is granted. The Veteran also meets the schedular criteria for entitlement to TDIU prior to June 1, 2023.
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