The Board finds that the weight of the competent and probative evidence is against a finding that any right great toe disability or bilateral plantar calcaneal spurs are related to service. The Veteran's in-service treatment records do not show injuries to these areas, and his current disabilities are more likely due to post-service work activities.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found no nexus between the Veteran's current right great toe disability or bilateral plantar calcaneal spurs and his active duty service. The examiner noted that there was no in-service injury to these areas and that the Veteran's work as a tradesman posed a higher risk for developing degenerative arthritis.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative arthritis in the right index finger's DIP joint, Right great toe disability, Bilateral plantar calcaneal spurs
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 14, 2017
- Citation
- 1752014
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 1752014.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
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- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claim for a new medical opinion to determine if the Veteran's right great toe disability is related to the August 6, 2019 debridement procedure at the Tampa VAMC and whether it was caused by VA carelessness or negligence.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's right great toe disability is currently rated at 10 percent, but the Board has remanded for further development regarding entitlement to a TDIU.
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