The Board denied service connection for multiple joint disabilities and an increased rating for bilateral hearing loss due to insufficient evidence linking the conditions to active service.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not support a finding of a causal relationship between the claimed disabilities and the Veteran's military service, and the audiometric test results were deemed unreliable.
- Claimed conditions
- arthritis in joint pain left foot, arthritis (rt foot joints 3rd, 4th and 5th toes) left foot ankle, flat foot, hammer toes (both feet toes curl over top of each other), right foot, weight bearing standing due flat foot both, arthritis in joints left ankle, chronic pain arthritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 12, 2024
- Citation
- A24073468
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.
- Dismissed
The Board denied the veteran's appeals for service connection due to untimely filings.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for left hip osteoarthritis and right hip osteoarthritis as secondary to the Veteran's now service-connected knee disabilities, but denied service connection for a variety of other conditions including bilateral ankle, shoulder, foot, mood disorder, tinnitus, hyperlipidemia, and knees.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for bilateral foot and ankle conditions to correct a duty to assist error, requiring medical opinions on their relationship to the Veteran's service.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for the Veteran's right foot condition, resolving doubt in favor of the Veteran.
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