The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for shrapnel, left foot, and neuropathy, left foot have been denied. The Veteran currently has a staged rating of 10 percent prior to February 10, 2020, and 30 percent thereafter for his shrapnel, left foot disability.
The deciding factor: The evidence does not meet the criteria for a higher rating under Diagnostic Codes 5284 or 5310.
- Claimed conditions
- shrapnel, left foot, status post removal, with residuals of pain and osteoarthritis of the great toe, neuropathy, left foot
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 28, 2023
- Citation
- 23018961
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 23018961.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board has denied service connection for migraine headaches, right hand and arm tremors, restless leg syndrome (both left and right legs), neuropathy of the right foot, and neuropathy of the left foot, all related to exposure at Camp Lejeune. The VA medical opinions found no link between these conditions and the Veteran's service.
- Partly granted
The veteran's claims for tinnitus, high cholesterol, and hypertension were dismissed because the veteran withdrew them. The claim for neuropathy in the left foot was remanded for further examination.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection are remanded due to a duty to assist error in failing to obtain his complete service treatment records and conflicting information regarding his social security number and date of birth. The issues will be reconsidered after these matters have been addressed.
- Denied
The Veteran's service connection claims for right knee arthritis, back condition, and bilateral foot neuropathy as secondary to mild osteoarthritis of the lumbar spine have been denied. The Board found that there is no direct link between the current conditions and active duty service.
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