The Veteran's petition to reopen the claim for service connection for left ankle pain was granted, and he is now entitled to service connection for this condition.,Service connection has also been granted for bilateral pes planus. The Veteran's pre-existing bilateral pes planus was aggravated by his active-duty service.,Service connection for erectile dysfunction (secondary to PTSD) and sleep disorder (secondary to PTSD) have both been granted, with the latter being at least in equipoise as to causation.,The Veteran is now entitled to service connection for a left ankle condition, bilateral pes planus, erectile dysfunction secondary to PTSD, and a sleep disorder secondary to PTSD.
The deciding factor: New evidence was provided by the Veteran that indicated his left ankle pain started during service and has persisted since then. The Board found this new evidence relevant.,The April 2017 VA examination confirmed the Veteran's report of left ankle pain, which is considered a disability for purposes of service connection.,The Veteran's pre-existing bilateral pes planus was aggravated by his active-duty service as evidenced by his discharge due to physical disability existing prior to entry on active duty and not aggravated by service.,The Veteran reported issues with sexual performance at an October 2016 psychology treatment, which led to a diagnosis of erectile dysfunction. The Board found the Veteran's testimony credible regarding this issue.,The June 2017 VA examination indicated that the Veteran has chronic sleep impairment due to his mental health condition (adjustment disorder with depression). The Board found the evidence at least in equipoise as to whether the Veteran's insomnia is causally related to his service-connected tinnitus.
- Claimed conditions
- left ankle pain, bilateral pes planus, erectile dysfunction, sleep disorder
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 25, 2024
- Citation
- A24041192
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 A24041192.
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for diabetes mellitus type II with erectile dysfunction was denied as the evidence did not show that he had been diagnosed and manifested to at least a 10 percent disability rating on or prior to May 8, 2001.
- Partly granted
The Board has not made a final determination on the claims of service connection for inguinal hernia, PTSD, joint pain, fibromyalgia, left knee disability, right knee disability, tinnitus, chronic fatigue syndrome, respiratory disability, sleep disorder, IBS, and headaches. The claims are remanded to obtain additional evidence and determine if these conditions are related to service.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim of service connection for PTSD was granted with an initial evaluation of 50 percent, effective September 24, 2007. The appeal regarding the heart condition and sleep disorder is denied. The Veteran's hearing loss prior to August 24, 2015, warrants a 20 percent rating.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus, prostate cancer, visual impairment, hypertension, and erectile dysfunction due to lack of exposure to herbicide agents during service. The Veteran's claims were not granted.
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