The Board has granted an initial disability rating of 10 percent for right foot hallux valgus and extended a temporary total rating for left foot hallux valgus. The issues of service connection for metatarsalgia, bilateral heel spurs, fusion of the bilateral fifth toes, and bilateral hammertoes are remanded for further development.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's current hallux rigidus may be caused or aggravated by his service-connected pes planus with plantar fasciitis or hallux valgus. The issues of metatarsalgia, bilateral heel spurs, fusion of the bilateral fifth toes, and hammertoes require additional VA medical opinions to address causation and aggravation.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral hammertoes, Bilateral heel spurs, Fusion of the bilateral fifth toes, Left foot hallux valgus, Metatarsalgia (claimed as Morton’s disease), Right foot hallux valgus
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 23, 2019
- Citation
- 19196035
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,934 · Granted: 41% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted 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. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 19196035.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Veteran's VR&E benefits were denied as she did not have an employment handicap and was found to be employable with her current skills, experience, and education. The appeal must be denied.
- Granted
The Veteran's right foot hallux valgus was granted service connection effective July 17, 2019. The effective date is set at the date of receipt of his claim for an increased rating for bilateral pes planus, which included a secondary claim for right foot hallux valgus.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the right foot hallux valgus condition should have been granted service connection in the first place, and thus the severance of service connection was improper. The Veteran's statements and medical opinions support a nexus to his military service.
- Granted
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