The veteran's claims for service connection for right hand, left hand, right foot, and left foot disabilities, and a total right knee and left hip replacement were denied. Service connection was granted for scarring of the left tympanic membrane.
The deciding factor: Service connection for scarring of the left tympanic membrane was granted due to evidence suggesting it may be related to in-service acoustic trauma, while other claims were denied as there was no competent medical evidence linking them to service or cold exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- residuals of a cold weather injury involving the right hand, residuals of a cold weather injury involving the left hand, residuals of a cold weather injury involving the right foot, residuals of a cold weather injury involving the left foot, scarring of the left tympanic membrane, right total knee replacement, left total hip replacement
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 30, 2009
- Citation
- 0903310
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,677 · Granted: 26% (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 0903310.
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 is unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment due to service-connected disabilities, and a TDIU is granted.
- Denied
The Board has determined that the Veteran's claimed conditions, including prostate cancer, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, type II, diabetic nephropathy and end stage renal disease with dialysis, diabetic peripheral neuropathies of various extremities, erectile dysfunction, lumbar spine strain with degenerative arthritis and intervertebral disc syndrome, and bilateral knee replacements, do not meet the criteria for service connection based on direct evidence or presumptive exposure to herbicide agents. The Board also found that there was no qualifying exposure to toxic environmental exposures during service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the claims of service connection for bilateral total knee replacements due to insufficient evidence regarding their onset and relation to active service.
- Dismissed
The Board has dismissed the Veteran's legacy appeals regarding increased ratings for his service-connected bilateral knee and scar issues due to a mistake in classification of the appeal as a legacy appeal instead of an AMA review system.
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.