The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hammer toes was denied as there is no medical evidence of record indicating that the current disability is related to his period of active duty.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner concluded that the current hammertoe disability has no relationship whatsoever to the Veteran's period of service, and the Board found this opinion more persuasive than the Veteran's lay assertions of continuity of symptomatology since service.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hammer toes
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 23, 2010
- Citation
- 1036019
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 1036019.
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.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities render him unemployable from performing all forms of substantially gainful employment that are consistent with his education and occupational experience, granting entitlement to TDIU.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate medical examination and opinion, requiring further development.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for a mid/lower back disability, bilateral hammer toes, bilateral plantar fasciitis, pseudofolliculitis barbae, and residuals of COVID-19 to obtain additional evidence.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for bilateral flat feet, bilateral hallux valgus, bilateral hallux rigidus, and bilateral hammer toes based on the evidence showing an increase in severity during active service.
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