The Veteran was granted an earlier effective date of November 17, 2009, for the award of service connection for bilateral flat feet. The claim for an earlier effective date for lumbosacral strain and degenerative arthritis of the spine was denied.
The deciding factor: The decision was based on the date of receipt of the first claim for service connection for bilateral flat feet, which was November 17, 2009, and the date VA received the Veteran's claim for service connection for his back disability, January 17, 2017.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral flat feet, lumbosacral strain with degenerative arthritis of the spine (back disability)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 30, 2025
- Citation
- A25048292
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 837 · Granted: 24% (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 A25048292.
What this means for you
A partial grant means some issues were granted while others were denied or remanded — common in multi-issue claims. Look at which issues went which way, and how each was argued.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities require regular aid and attendance, resulting in the grant of special monthly compensation based on the need for regular aid and attendance. The issue of entitlement to special monthly compensation at the housebound rate is moot.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the AOJ committed pre-decisional duty to assist errors by not assisting the Veteran to identify and obtain relevant treatment records regarding his bilateral flat feet and for relying on an inadequate addendum opinion. The case is therefore REMANDED for these actions.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal was dismissed due to their death during the pendency of the appeal.
- Denied
The Veteran's claims for increased evaluations of his service-connected bilateral flat feet and lumbosacral strain have been denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating for either condition.
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