The Veteran's appeals to reopen his previously denied claims for left knee strain, plantar and retrocalcaneal spurs of the left foot with DJD, strained calf muscle/pulled left hamstring, and a left shoulder disorder have been dismissed.,Restoration of the 10 percent rating for old healed fracture, right long finger, effective from April 1, 2017, is granted.
The deciding factor: The Veteran requested to withdraw his appeals regarding the reopening of previously denied claims for left knee strain, plantar and retrocalcaneal spurs of the left foot with DJD, strained calf muscle/pulled left hamstring, and a left shoulder disorder.,There is no evidence showing an actual improvement in the Veteran's service-connected old healed fracture, right long finger, which would warrant a reduction from 10 percent to noncompensable.
- Claimed conditions
- left knee strain, plantar and retrocalcaneal spurs of the left foot with DJD, strained calf muscle/pulled left hamstring, left shoulder disorder
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 18, 2018
- Citation
- 18143229
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 18143229.
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A dismissal means the Board did not decide the issue on its merits — usually because it was withdrawn or had become moot.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 Board granted service connection for left knee strain, right knee strain, right wrist strain, and TBI. The Veteran's PTSD rating was remanded for further development.
- Remanded (sent back)
The appeal is remanded to correct pre-decisional duty to assist errors, including the failure to obtain relevant treatment records and provide adequate VA examinations.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for a rating in excess of 10 percent for bilateral hip and knee disabilities, as well as a TDIU claim, to ensure adequate VA examinations are conducted.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for left hip iliopsoas tendonitis, right knee strain, and left knee strain as secondary to lumbosacral strain. Service connection was also granted for cannabis use disorder as secondary to mental health conditions of PTSD, major depressive disorder with alcohol use disorder, and TBI. However, the Board denied an initial disability rating in excess of 70 percent for PTSD and granted a separate disability rating of 40 percent for TBI.
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