The Veteran's preexisting pes planus disability was aggravated by service, and the Board granted service connection for bilateral pes planus, to include plantar fasciitis, hallux valgus, and degenerative arthritis of the feet.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the Veteran's pes planus increased in severity during service due to STRs showing significant increase in symptoms and a physician suspecting it was causing knee problems. The Veteran's current pes planus symptoms were attributed to his becoming overweight after service, but this did not negate the aggravation finding.
- Claimed conditions
- pes planus, plantar fasciitis, hallux valgus, degenerative arthritis
- How they argued it
- Aggravation of a pre-existing condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 30, 2023
- Citation
- 23063312
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 23063312.
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 claim for a medical opinion on whether plantar fasciitis was aggravated by active duty training.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for migraine headaches as secondary to the Veteran's asthma with sinusitis, but denied service connection for a low back sprain and plantar fasciitis. The claim for a neck condition was dismissed.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for multiple conditions, including left and right leg, arm, knee, shoulder, kidney, plantar fasciitis, and back conditions, as further development is needed to address pre-decisional duty to assist errors.
- Dismissed
The appeal seeking service connection for diabetes mellitus, type II, degenerative arthritis, hyperlipidemia, and hypertension was dismissed due to non-compliance with claims processing rules.
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