The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for service connection for right foot strain and pes planus with plantar fasciitis, as the earliest possible effective date is December 12, 2022.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the Veteran did not informally or formally file a claim for his right foot disabilities before December 2022, and therefore denied an earlier effective date.
- Claimed conditions
- right foot strain, pes planus with plantar fasciitis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 6, 2025
- Citation
- A25041168
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,113 · Granted: 47% (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 A25041168.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's service connection claims for various conditions were granted effective from July 1, 2020.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for right foot and ankle disabilities, as well as his claim for TDIU, are being remanded due to a duty to assist error. The VA must obtain an addendum opinion to determine the severity of these conditions without considering the ameliorative effects of medication.
- Granted
The Veteran's left and right foot strains are rated at 20 percent each, effective October 1, 2024. The Board granted the ratings based on moderate severity of symptoms.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's requests for earlier effective dates for service connection and increased ratings, finding no evidence of a factually ascertainable increase in disability within one year prior to his intent to file claims.
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