The Board found that the veteran's current right foot and bilateral tinnitus disabilities are not related to his active duty service. The veteran was denied service connection for a right foot disability, as there is no evidence of chronic disability resulting from an inservice injury. For tinnitus, the veteran received the maximum allowable rating under Diagnostic Code 6260 (10 percent), and separate ratings for each ear are not allowed.
The deciding factor: The Board determined that the veteran's current right foot/right great toe disorder is not related to service due to lack of chronicity post-service. The examiner noted no documentation of a fracture, but rather attributed the hallux rigidus to wear and tear throughout his life. For tinnitus, the Board applied the revised criteria under Diagnostic Code 6260, which provided for a maximum 10 percent evaluation.
- Claimed conditions
- Right Foot Disability, Bilateral Tinnitus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- March 2, 2004
- Citation
- 0405684
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 0405684.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board denied a compensable rating for allergic rhinitis, service connection for chronic sinusitis and bilateral tinnitus, granted a 50 percent initial rating for PTSD, and remanded the claims for an increased rating for PTSD and service connection for a somatic disorder.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including GAD, MDD, PTSD, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and foot disabilities. The claim for NSC pension benefits was dismissed as moot due to a higher disability rating.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for various disabilities, including a back disability, right and left lower extremity peripheral nerve disabilities, a right foot disability, sleep apnea, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus, to correct pre-decisional duty to assist errors.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability (adjustment disorder with mixed emotional features) as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected right ankle strain and instability, but denied service connection for right shoulder, left shoulder, left foot, and right foot disabilities.
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