The Veteran's claims for service connection for onychomycosis of the feet, xerosis cutis of the toenails, and degenerative joint disease of the thoracolumbar spine were denied as there is no evidence of these conditions during or within one year after service.,VA examinations concluded that the Veteran’s current conditions are less likely related to his military service.
The deciding factor: The VA examinations found no nexus between the Veteran's current conditions and his military service, with the most probative evidence being against the claims.
- Claimed conditions
- onychomycosis of the feet, xerosis cutis of the toenails, degenerative joint disease of the thoracolumbar spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 19, 2020
- Citation
- 20034727
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 20034727.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings for degenerative joint disease of the thoracolumbar spine and left knee traumatic arthritis have been dismissed as he withdrew his appeal prior to a scheduled hearing.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for a low back disorder as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected left knee disorder and assigned an initial 30 percent disability rating for onychomycosis of the feet, but denied an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, PTSD, and degenerative joint disease of the thoracolumbar spine due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for degenerative joint disease of the thoracolumbar spine, finding that it was incurred during active duty.
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