The Board denied the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for left and right foot hammertoes, as well as acne vulgaris with scarring prior to January 31, 2012. The maximum rating of 10 percent was maintained for all conditions.
The deciding factor: The Board found that Diagnostic Code 5282 (for hammertoes) and Diagnostic Code 7828 (for acne vulgaris with scarring) were the appropriate codes to rate these disabilities, as they are specifically listed in VA's schedule of rating disabilities. The Veteran was not entitled to higher ratings based on functional loss or other criteria.
- Claimed conditions
- left foot hammertoes, right foot hammertoes, acne vulgaris with scarring
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 12, 2019
- Citation
- 19162120
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 19162120.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the veteran's appeals for service connection for various conditions, including foot and calf pain, hammertoes, hallux valgus, and cervical spine degenerative arthritis.
- Denied
The Board denied higher ratings for the Veteran's right and left foot hallux valgus and right and left foot hammertoes, as the maximum 10 percent ratings were already assigned.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for right and left foot hammertoes to obtain adequate medical opinions addressing all reasonably raised theories of service connection.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 30 percent rating for bilateral pes planus and denied higher ratings for left and right foot hammertoes, as well as compensable ratings for right and left foot hallux valgus.
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