The Veteran's left and right foot disabilities have been granted service connection with effective dates of June 27, 2013. Effective date for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus has not been granted.
The deciding factor: The Veteran submitted an informal claim on June 27, 2013, which was considered as filed on March 24, 2014, the date of receipt of a formal application form. The effective dates for left and right foot disabilities are granted based on the receipt of the informal claim.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative arthritis of the left foot with plantar keratosis and bone spurs (left foot disability), Degenerative arthritis of the right foot with plantar keratosis and bone spurs (right foot disability), Bilateral hearing loss, Tinnitus, Acquired psychiatric disability (separately claimed as depression and anxiety), Insomnia, Low back disability, Left hip disability, Right hip disability, Hypertension, Hepatitis C, Liver disease, Right ankle disability, Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- January 4, 2023
- Citation
- 23000365
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,341 · Granted: 33% (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 23000365.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are not related to his military service.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a low back disability and an increased rating for his acquired psychiatric disorder. The Board found that there was no evidence linking the current disabilities to military service.
- Denied
The Board denied the claim of service connection for hypertension, finding that it did not manifest during service and is not causally related to the Veteran's exposure to herbicides or service.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for a low back disorder was reopened, and his claims for increased ratings of bilateral knee instability were granted. His hearing loss claim was denied.
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