The Board has determined that the Veteran's left great toe disability and potential hammer toes are not service-connected as there is no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.
The deciding factor: There is no credible evidence showing a nexus between the current diagnoses of the left great toe and hammer toes and the Veteran's in-service injury or events, and the Board finds that the Veteran's lay statements regarding the nature of the injuries are not credible.
- Claimed conditions
- left great toe disability, left foot hammer toes
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 1, 2022
- Citation
- 22066921
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 22066921.
What this means for you
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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 service connection and evaluations for sleep apnea, headache disability, right foot hammer toes, and left foot hammer toes have been dismissed.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for left ankle and left great toe disabilities due to incomplete records and need for additional medical opinions.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for higher ratings for bilateral pes planus with bilateral plantar fasciitis, heel spurs and tenosynovitis, left foot hammer toes, and right foot hammer toes has been granted. A 50 percent rating is assigned for the period from October 30, 2023, and a 10 percent rating is assigned for each of the left and right feet.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for left foot hammer toes and left ankle sprain, as secondary to the service-connected left knee condition due to inadequate addendum medical opinions. Further remand is required to obtain adequate opinions addressing the possibility of aggravation.
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