The Veteran's claim for service connection for a bilateral leg disability was denied due to the lack of objective evidence establishing such a disability. The evaluation for his plantar warts remained at 30 percent as no more severe disability was shown.
The deciding factor: There is no objective medical evidence supporting the existence of a current bilateral leg disability, and the Veteran's foot condition did not meet the criteria for a higher rating under applicable diagnostic codes.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral plantar warts, bilateral leg pain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 30%
- Decision date
- March 25, 2009
- Citation
- 0911029
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 granted service connection for a chronic undiagnosed illness manifested by bilateral leg pain, bilateral hand tremors, sinus problems, shortness of breath and recurrent transient ear noise due to Gulf War service. Service connection was denied for CFS.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, back disability, bilateral achilles tendonitis, gout, diabetes mellitus, type 2 (DMII), obstructive sleep apnea, and an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include anxiety and depression. The Board denied increased ratings for right and left knee degenerative joint disease, separate ratings for instability of the knees, a separate rating for residuals of a right knee meniscectomy, and service connection for bilateral leg pain, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), chronic sinus disability, respiratory disability due to exposure to asbestos, heart murmur, irregular heartbeat, and seizures.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for the veteran's left shoulder, right shoulder, and tinnitus disabilities as they were not related to his service. The claims for GERD, a hiatal hernia, and bilateral plantar warts were remanded for further development.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an increased rating of 20 percent for bilateral plantar warts but denied a higher rating for PTSD. The claims for service connection for right maxillary neurofibroma, COPD, and hammer toes were reopened.
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