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Whole decision: Denied

The veteran's initial claims for service connection for a ganglion cyst of the right wrist and plantar fasciitis of the left foot were granted. However, his appeal for an initial compensable evaluation for the ganglion cyst of the right wrist was denied as there is no functional loss associated with this disability. For the plantar fasciitis of the left foot, he received a 10 percent evaluation initially and later received a 20 percent evaluation starting from July 26, 1999.

The deciding factor: The veteran's right wrist ganglion cyst did not result in any functional loss due to pain, weakness, or fatigability. For the left foot plantar fasciitis, the initial evaluation was granted at 10 percent as there is no compensable degree of limitation of motion. However, a higher rating (20%) was assigned starting from July 26, 1999 due to more severe symptoms.

Claimed conditions
Ganglion cyst of the right wrist, Plantar fasciitis of the left foot
How they argued it
Direct service connection
Exposure basis
None
Rating
Not verified here — check the original decision
Decision date
May 12, 2003
Citation
0308924

Veterans Law Judge

G. H. SHUFELT

Decisions by this judge: 673 · Granted: 27% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed 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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 0308924.

What this means for you

A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.

What you can do next

Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).

Related decisions

Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.

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