The Board denied service connection for bilateral hammer toe as the Veteran's pre-existing condition did not worsen during his active duty service.
The deciding factor: The Board found that there was no evidence of an increase in severity of the preexisting hammer toe disability during service, and thus the presumption of aggravation did not apply.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hammer toe
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 13, 2020
- Citation
- 20025262
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 20025262.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for bilateral pes planus, bilateral hammer toe, a lumbar spine disability, a pelvic disability, and a right hip disability as the evidence did not support that these conditions were incurred in or aggravated by active military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate examination reports and the need for further development, including obtaining a new VA examination and opinion regarding the Veteran's foot disabilities.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for additional development due to the need for new VA examinations and for obtaining outstanding medical records.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current condition is at least as likely as not related to his active military service. Service connection was denied for bilateral hearing loss, hammer toe, low back disability, foot and leg disabilities, and coronary artery disease.
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