The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for various service-connected disabilities, including stress fracture of the left foot with pain, right foot injury, right knee pain, left ankle tendonitis, and hallux valgus on both feet, as well as left ear hearing loss.
The deciding factor: The Veteran failed to report to necessary VA examinations, and there was no good cause provided for his absence. The claims were denied based on the evidence of record.
- Claimed conditions
- stress fracture of the left foot with pain, right foot injury, right knee pain, left ankle tendonitis, left hallux valgus, right hallux valgus, left ear hearing loss
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 20, 2025
- Citation
- A25053734
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for scarring, right orchiopexy and remanded the claim of asbestos exposure residuals. Other claims for service connection were denied.
- 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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 20 percent disability rating for left and right lower extremity radiculopathy from April 3, 2023 onward, but denied higher ratings prior to that date. Service connection was also granted for alcohol use disorder as secondary to PTSD with traumatic brain injury.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection of left ear hearing loss due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error, as an addendum opinion is necessary to address evidence of in-service hearing loss and convert audiometric testing results from ASA to ISO-ANSI standards.
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