The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings were denied. The right ear hearing loss was found to be noncompensable, the great toenail surgery with proximal bone loss on the right foot resulted in a 20 percent rating from January 14, 2016 onwards, and the ingrown toenail of the left foot received a 20 percent rating.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not meet the criteria for higher ratings under the applicable diagnostic codes.
- Claimed conditions
- Right Ear Hearing Loss, Great Toenail Surgery with Proximal Bone Loss on Right Foot, Ingrown Toenail of the Great Toe on Left Foot
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 13, 2020
- Citation
- 20066238
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.
- Partly granted
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection, except for a 20 percent rating for lumbosacral strain.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection, except for remanding certain service connection claims.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an increased rating of 70 percent for PTSD from September 27, 2022, and denied the claims for a compensable rating for urethral injury with urinary incontinence and right ear hearing loss. The claim for service connection for chronic headaches as secondary to the right shoulder was also granted.
- Dismissed
The appeal for several conditions, including insomnia, hypertension, and various disabilities, was dismissed due to procedural issues.
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