The veteran's claim for service connection for a psychiatric disorder was denied, and the RO granted a separate 10 percent rating for each foot with hallux valgus and hammertoes of all toes, degenerative changes, and residuals of bunionectomy.
The deciding factor: There is no medical evidence linking any current psychiatric disorder to service. The veteran's hallux valgus deformity and hammer toe condition are rated based on their severity as per the VA rating schedule.
- Claimed conditions
- psychiatric disorder, hallux valgus deformity of each foot with degenerative changes, hammer toes of all toes of each foot
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- August 28, 2006
- Citation
- 0627061
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 734 · Granted: 9% (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 0627061.
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 Board has granted the Veteran's claims for increased evaluations and SMC based on housebound status and aid and attendance, with the initial decisions being in February and June 2023. The appellant is eligible to attorney fees based on past-due benefits awarded in September 2024.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the appeal for service connection of psychiatric disorder. Service connection was granted for heart condition, throat condition, and hypertension due to herbicide exposure in Japan. Diabetes condition is denied as there is no evidence of treatment or diagnosis.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities were considered permanent and total in nature as of August 6, 2020, which is the earliest date on which she can establish basic eligibility for DEA under 38 U.S.C. Chapter 35.
- Granted
The Veteran's tinnitus is granted service connection, while his bilateral hearing loss and hypertensive vascular disease/hypertension are denied. The psychiatric disorder claim is remanded for further review.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.