The Veteran's claim for increased ratings for his bilateral hip, heel, and finger osteoarthritis was denied. The RO found that the Veteran did not meet the criteria for a compensable or higher rating under the applicable diagnostic codes.
The deciding factor: The VA examinations and medical records provided no evidence of ankylosis, flail joint, limitation of motion to 20 degrees or less in flexion or abduction, or other disabling conditions that would warrant a higher disability rating for his osteoarthritis of the hips, heels, and fingers.
- Claimed conditions
- osteoarthritis of the bilateral hips, osteoarthritis of the left heel, osteoarthritis of the right heel
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 30, 2010
- Citation
- 1015919
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 1015919.
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 a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities, but denied an increased disability rating for the Veteran's herniated nucleus pulposus with post-traumatic arthritis of the lumbar spine.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has found that there was not substantial compliance with its previous remand instructions and thus the case is being returned for further development.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for osteoarthritis of the bilateral hips, right hip, and left hip due to a lack of recent VA treatment records and need for a new examination.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for glaucoma, osteoarthritis of the lower back and bilateral hips, hypertension, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus due to lack of sufficient medical evidence.
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