The Board has granted service connection for right foot hallux valgus but remanded the claim for right foot hammer toes due to inadequate VA examination.
The deciding factor: The August 2022 VA examiner's opinion was based solely on the absence of in-service documentation and did not consider the Veteran's lay statements about his symptoms, which is insufficient for adjudication purposes.
- Claimed conditions
- hallux valgus of the right foot, right foot hammer toes
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 16, 2023
- Citation
- 23045439
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 23045439.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection and rating issues due to outstanding VA and private treatment records not being obtained prior to adjudication.
- 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.
- 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.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for his service-connected right median nerve and carpal tunnel syndrome was granted with a 30 percent rating effective August 8, 2023. The Board also remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for sleep apnea as secondary to PTSD.
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