The Board found that the preponderance of evidence was against granting service connection for athlete's foot and onychomycosis.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner opined that it was unlikely that the Veteran's current athletes' foot and onychomycosis were related to his military service, while Dr. Colson attributed these conditions to the Veteran's service based on a history provided by the veteran with no available treatment records for several decades after discharge.
- Claimed conditions
- athlete's foot, onychomycosis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- February 10, 2009
- Citation
- 0904860
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,987 · Granted: 15% (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 0904860.
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.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's claim for an initial compensable disability rating for onychomycosis was denied as the condition did not require treatment and covered less than 5% of his body. The Board also remanded issues regarding service connection for left ear hearing loss and entitlement to a compensable disability rating for right ear hearing loss.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings of his service-connected toenail disabilities and service connection for lumbosacral strain, joint pain, and an acquired psychiatric disorder are being remanded due to the need for further development.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran has a current diagnosis of athlete's foot that was incurred during active service. The Board finds that the criteria for service connection have been met and grants the claim.
- Whole decision: Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew his appeals for all the listed conditions in April 2024 and March 2025, thus dismissing the appeal.
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