The Veteran's bilateral hammer toes with tyloma (callus) formation is attributable to his active service. The Board finds that an opinion that a condition is not related to service for no other reason than because the condition was not diagnosed in service is contrary to governing evidentiary standards. Therefore, the Board finds that the February 2016 VA medical opinion has less probative weight.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's bilateral hammer toes with tyloma (callus) formation are attributable to his active service due to wearing boots that were too small during boot camp.
- Claimed conditions
- {"condition_name":"Bilateral hammer toes with tyloma (callus) formation"}, {"condition_name":"Back condition","secondary_to":true}, {"condition_name":"Bilateral hip condition","secondary_to":true}, {"condition_name":"Bilateral knee condition","secondary_to":true}
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 24, 2019
- Citation
- 19132240
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
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