The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hammer toes, finding that there is no competent and credible evidence linking the current disability to service.
The deciding factor: There is no competent and credible evidence linking the Veteran’s post-service diagnosis of hammertoes to service.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hammer toes
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- February 22, 2019
- Citation
- 19113219
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 882 · Granted: 17% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 19113219.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: 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.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate medical examination and opinion, requiring further development.
- Whole decision: 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.
- Whole decision: 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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