The Veteran's initial rating for his left foot disability was denied, but a rating of 20% effective August 6, 2012 and 30% effective June 17, 2016 was granted. The right knee issues were remanded for additional development.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's symptoms did not meet the criteria for moderately severe or severe foot injuries prior to June 17, 2016, but they did from that date onward.
- Claimed conditions
- Left Foot Degenerative Joint Disease, Hallux Rigidus of the First Metatarsal Phalangeal Joint
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 13, 2020
- Citation
- 20066261
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,960 · Granted: 36% (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 20066261.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Board granted increased ratings for bilateral pes planus, hallux valgus of the right and left feet, and degenerative joint disease of both feet. The Veteran's TDIU status from service-connected depressive disorder is also recognized.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's left foot disorder pre-existed service and was not aggravated by military service, thus granting service connection on a presumptive basis.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
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