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Denied

The Board denied service connection for hammer toes and a bilateral lower extremity condition, including degenerative joint disease of the knees. The Veteran's hammer toes were not found to be related to his military service.

The deciding factor: The VA examiner found no nexus between the Veteran’s military service and his diagnosed hammer toe disability.

Claimed conditions
hammer toes, bilateral lower extremities condition (to include degenerative joint disease of the bilateral knees)
How they argued it
Direct service connection
Exposure basis
None
Rating assigned
None in this decision
Decision date
March 9, 2021
Citation
21013316

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 21013316.

What this means for you

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