The Board granted increased initial disability ratings of 30 percent for the left and right foot injuries with degenerative joint disease, a noncompensable rating for hammer toe of the right fourth toe, and effective dates of June 13, 2013, for service connection for migraines, hypertension, and right and left foot injuries with degenerative joint disease. The claim for an earlier effective date for a skin condition was denied.
The deciding factor: The persuasive weight of the evidence supports that the Veteran's conditions meet the criteria for increased ratings or earlier effective dates as outlined in the applicable rating codes and regulations.
- Claimed conditions
- left foot injury with degenerative joint disease, right foot injury with degenerative joint disease, hammer toe of the right fourth toe, migraines, hypertension, skin condition
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 30%
- Decision date
- March 18, 2025
- Citation
- A25024648
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.
- Granted
The Board granted an effective date of October 21, 2021, for the grant of service connection for hypertension.
- Dismissed
The appeal for a compensable rating for left ear hearing loss, service connection for right ear hearing loss, and bilateral vision condition was dismissed. Service connection for hypertension, congestive heart failure, and coronary artery disease was denied.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including prostate cancer and related disabilities, urinary incontinence, sleep apnea, hypertension, varicose veins, lumbar spine disability, hip arthritis, shoulder arthritis, ankle arthritis, knee strain, knee replacement, and hand arthritis. The only condition granted was a 10 percent rating for a fracture of the right proximal first metacarpal.
- Partly granted
The Veteran was granted a 70 percent initial disability rating for PTSD effective December 2, 2021, but the claim for an increased rating in excess of 70 percent was denied. The appeal also included claims for service connection and ratings for various conditions, some of which were granted while others were remanded.
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