The Veteran's service-connected right foot disability, including plantar fasciitis, flatfoot, hallux valgus, hallux rigidus, and degenerative arthritis, has been granted. However, the claim for a compensable evaluation for bilateral hearing loss remains denied. The claims of increased ratings for impingement syndrome and bursitis of the left shoulder, as well as degenerative joint disease of the right elbow, are pending and require further examination to determine appropriate evaluations.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's service-connected right foot disability has been established based on medical evidence linking his current condition to service. However, the claim for a compensable evaluation for bilateral hearing loss remains denied due to the absence of exceptional patterns of hearing impairment as defined by VA regulations.
- Claimed conditions
- Right Foot Disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 31, 2019
- Citation
- 19197142
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,249 · Granted: 37% (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 19197142.
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
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for a right foot disability, finding that the evidence is at least approximately evenly balanced as to whether the Veteran's post-service disability was incurred in service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for right foot, hip, and knee disabilities due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error in not obtaining opinions on causation or aggravation.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's service connection claims for erectile dysfunction and voiding dysfunction have been denied due to the lack of evidence linking these conditions to his in-service exposure.,The remaining service connection claims (for bilateral feet, ankles, hip, wrist, cervical spine, upper extremity radiculopathy, psychiatric disorder, GERD, sleep apnea, and hypertension) are remanded for further development.
- Denied
The Veteran's lumbar spine disability is rated at 40 percent, and his left and right foot disabilities are each rated at 10 percent. The appeals for increased ratings have been denied.
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