The Veteran's service-connected left heel disability was not found to warrant a rating in excess of 20 percent, but the hammertoes and degenerative changes of the left toes were determined to be aggravated by the service-connected left heel condition.
The deciding factor: The evidence both for and against finding that the Veteran's degenerative changes of the left toes and hammertoes of the left foot were aggravated by his service-connected left heel disability was relatively equal, leading to a grant of secondary service connection for these conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- status post left heel stress fracture, plantar fasciitis, hammertoes of the left foot, degenerative changes of the left toes
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- March 4, 2009
- Citation
- 0908019
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,613 · Granted: 30% (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 0908019.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection for athletes' foot, low back strain, and plantar fasciitis due to a lack of a VA examination prior to the August 2020 rating decision.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal of an earlier effective date for service connection for bilateral pes planus and plantar fasciitis has been dismissed as the Veteran withdrew his appeal prior to a decision being made.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to a need for a VA examination and medical opinion regarding the Veteran's service connection claim for plantar fasciitis.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral foot disability, including plantar fasciitis and flat foot (pes planus), finding no evidence of a causal link to his active military service.
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