The Veteran's claim of cold weather injury residuals of the bilateral lower extremities is dismissed as it was encompassed in the grants of service connection for bilateral lower extremity peripheral neuropathy. The Veteran's bilateral claw toes are not etiologically related to his active service.
The deciding factor: The VA medical examination and opinion concluded that the Veteran's claw toes were due to severe gouty arthritis, which is unrelated to his military service.
- Claimed conditions
- cold weather injury residuals of the bilateral lower extremities, bilateral claw toes
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 28, 2017
- Citation
- 1760724
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 1760724.
What this means for you
A dismissal means the Board did not decide the issue on its merits — usually because it was withdrawn or had become moot. It says more about procedure than about whether a claim like this can win.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for cold weather injury residuals of the bilateral lower extremities was reopened and granted, with the Board finding that there is at least equipoise evidence to support a link between the current condition and service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for service connection for cold weather injury residuals of the bilateral lower extremities and bilateral posterior tibial nerve lesion at the ankle (tarsal tunnel syndrome) is being remanded due to new evidence submitted by the Veteran.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the concurrent grant of service connection for other foot conditions, and the need to reassess his disability ratings for all affected conditions.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hallux valgus, bilateral claw toes, and post-surgical residuals of bilateral hammertoes to include arthritis. These conditions are either initially manifest during service or are secondary to the service-connected pes planus.
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