The Veteran's right foot hammertoes and osteoarthritis of the great toe are currently rated at 10 percent, which is the maximum allowed under VA rating criteria. The Veteran's left foot conditions have not been granted service connection.,Service connection for a left foot disability (hallux rigidus, hallux valgus, heel tenderness, bunions, corns, and osteoarthritis) remains pending as the AOJ has yet to issue an SSOC addressing this claim.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's right foot hammertoes and osteoarthritis of the great toe have been rated at the maximum allowed under VA rating criteria (10 percent), based on their functional limitations due to pain. The left foot conditions remain pending as service connection has not yet been granted.,Service connection for a left foot disability remains pending, as the AOJ has not issued an SSOC addressing this claim.
- Claimed conditions
- Right foot hammertoes, Osteoarthritis of the right great toe, Left hallux rigidus, Left hallux valgus, Left heel tenderness, Bunions, Corns, Osteoarthritis of the left foot
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 21, 2020
- Citation
- 20080164
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,071 · Granted: 26% (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 20080164.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that new and relevant evidence has been received with respect to all the service connection claims on appeal. The claims are being remanded for further development, including obtaining VA examinations and medical opinions to determine the nature and etiology of the claimed conditions.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an initial 20 percent rating for left ankle strain and earlier effective dates of August 24, 1998 for service connection of hammertoes in the feet. Other claims were denied.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 70 percent evaluation for the Veteran's psychiatric disorder and remanded claims for service connection of back condition, as secondary to orthopedic conditions, and compensable evaluation for right foot hammertoes.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for peripheral neuropathy of the right and left upper extremities, ankle instability, bilateral pes planus/flat feet, left foot hammertoes, right foot hammertoes, left foot hallux valgus, right foot hallux valgus, right hip pain, and left hip pain as there was no evidence that these conditions were related to the Veteran's active-duty service.
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