The Board has determined that the Veteran's current nerve damage to his feet is related to his in-service cold injury, and thus service connection for left foot nerve damage and right foot nerve damage is granted.
The deciding factor: The evidence shows a history of frostbite injuries during service which resulted in current nerve damage, and the VA examiner found no significant difference between the results of the private NCS study and the VA NCS study.
- Claimed conditions
- left foot nerve damage, right foot nerve damage
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 16, 2020
- Citation
- 20004065
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,170 · Granted: 38% (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 20004065.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including bilateral flat feet, plantar fasciitis and hallux valgus, hearing loss, psychiatric disabilities, nerve damage, eye disability, and IBS. The decision found that there was no evidence of permanent aggravation of preexisting conditions during service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for neurological issues, right and left upper extremities, right and left foot nerve damage, and skin cancer to obtain medical examinations and opinions related to in-service exposure to lead paint and sun exposure.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remanded the claim for service connection for right foot nerve damage to obtain an adequate VA opinion on the nature and etiology of the disability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied as he does not have a current disability.,The Veteran's claims for service connection for right ankle disorder, right foot nerve damage, left foot nerve damage, and bilateral foot disorder are remanded due to the need for VA examinations.,The Veteran's claims for service connection for OSA and chronic sinus disorder are remanded due to the need for a VA examination and determination of potential TERA exposures.,reasoning_summary
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.