The Veteran's bilateral ankle disability, including gastro-soleus equinus syndrome and bilateral pes planus (plantar fasciitis), is related to his active duty service.,The Veteran's bilateral knee disability was caused by his service-connected bilateral ankle disability. The low back disability is also linked to the service-connected bilateral ankle disability and bilateral feet disabilities.,PTSD is found to be related to the Veteran's active duty service, with a diagnosis of PTSD confirmed in private examination reports.,ED is determined to be secondary to PTSD, as diagnosed by a private examiner.,Obstructive sleep apnea is also found to be secondary to PTSD.
The deciding factor: The medical opinions provided link the Veteran's current conditions to his active duty service through established medical principles and detailed examinations.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral ankle disability, bilateral knee disability, low back disability, acquired psychiatric disability, erectile dysfunction (ED), obstructive sleep apnea
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 9, 2024
- Citation
- 24001286
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,092 · Granted: 42% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 24001286.
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 bilateral shoulder disability and increased ratings for her bilateral knee disabilities, finding no evidence of in-service injury or disease related to these conditions.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, finding that there is no competent evidence to support a finding that his current condition began in or as a result of service.
- Denied
The Board of Veterans' Appeals (BVA) has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea as there is no current diagnosis of this condition during the appeal period.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper extremities, and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities, finding that there was no evidence linking these conditions to his active service or any related exposure.
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