The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen the veteran's claims for service connection for ear and foot disorders. The veteran presented testimony indicating he had no preexisting ear disorder on enlistment but developed recurring ear problems during service, which led to his discharge from active duty. He also testified about a pre-existing bilateral foot disorder that was aggravated in service, resulting in surgery times eight toes for hammertoe release and tendon transfer post-service.
The deciding factor: The veteran presented testimony indicating he had no preexisting ear disorder on enlistment but developed recurring ear problems during service, which led to his discharge from active duty. He also testified about a pre-existing bilateral foot disorder that was aggravated in service, resulting in surgery times eight toes for hammertoe release and tendon transfer post-service.
- Claimed conditions
- ear disorder, foot disorder
- How they argued it
- Aggravation of a pre-existing condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 30, 2004
- Citation
- 0402824
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 120 · Granted: 40% (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 0402824.
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 service connection for a foot disorder, finding that the Veteran's condition was not incurred in or related to his military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to errors in obtaining service records and a need for a VA examination to determine if any current foot disorders are related to service.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claims for service connection for a back disorder and a foot disorder, finding that there is sufficient evidence to support these claims based on continuity of symptomatology since service.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the appeal for chronic bronchitis as untimely and denied service connection for various other conditions including a left ankle disorder, asthma, shoulder disorder, chest disorder, foot disorder, GI disorder, hand disorder, knee disorder, and neck disorder due to lack of evidence supporting their direct relation to service.
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