The Veteran's claims for increased ratings were denied as there was no evidence of an increase in disability prior to the date of receipt of the claim.,The Veteran's claims for effective dates earlier than September 13, 2015 for the assignment of a 60 percent rating for gout of both big toes, right-hand carpal tunnel syndrome, and left-hand carpal tunnel syndrome were denied as there was no clinical evidence of significant incapacitation prior to that date.
The deciding factor: The effective dates could not be established earlier than the date of receipt of the claim due to lack of clinical evidence of an increase in disability.
- Claimed conditions
- gout of bilateral great toes, right-hand carpal tunnel syndrome, left-hand carpal tunnel syndrome, deviated nasal septum
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 28, 2020
- Citation
- 20029756
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 20029756.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's deviated nasal septum was granted service connection. The claims for anxiety and sleep disturbance, erectile dysfunction, headaches, acid reflux, hypertension (high blood pressure), irritable bowel syndrome, and jaw condition were denied.
- Denied
The Board denied a compensable disability rating for the Veteran's deviated nasal septum, finding that there were no compensable symptoms and that the evidence did not support a higher rating.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities alone are of sufficient severity to produce unemployability, meeting the schedular criteria for a TDIU throughout the appeal period. However, conflicting work history makes it impossible to determine his employment status during the period on appeal.
- Denied
The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected deviated nasal septum did not meet the criteria for a compensable disability rating, as it did not result in 50-percent obstruction of the nasal passage on both sides or complete obstruction on one side. Therefore, the appeal is denied.
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