The appeals for ratings and effective dates associated with frostbite of the left and right feet, as well as lumbar spine degenerative joint disease, were dismissed. The issues related to knee limitations and TDIU are remanded.
The deciding factor: The Veteran withdrew his appeal regarding the foot and rating issues during the Board hearing, and there was no evidence supporting a higher rating for the lumbar spine condition within the relevant period.
- Claimed conditions
- Frostbite of the left foot, Frostbite of the right foot, Lumbar spine degenerative joint disease, Left knee limitation of flexion associated with left knee chronic strain, Right knee limitation of flexion associated with right knee chronic strain, Left knee limitation of extension associated with left knee chronic strain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 31, 2025
- Citation
- A25094911
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,812 · Granted: 30% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 A25094911.
What this means for you
A dismissal means the Board did not decide the issue on its merits — usually because it was withdrawn or had become moot. It says more about procedure than about whether a claim like this can win.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and denied increased ratings for left shoulder, right knee, and left knee replacement conditions. However, the Board granted a 10 percent rating for the left knee scar and a 30 percent rating for the lumbar spine degenerative joint disease.
- Partly granted
The Board denied a rating in excess of 10 percent for the right ankle sprain and granted higher ratings for lumbar spine degenerative joint disease, with an effective date of May 28, 2019.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the case to obtain new VA opinions regarding whether the Veteran's service-connected PTSD and lumbar spine degenerative joint disease caused or contributed to his death.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for cervical spine degenerative joint disease, right upper extremity radiculopathy, left upper extremity radiculopathy, lumbar spine degenerative joint disease, right lower extremity radiculopathy, and left lower extremity radiculopathy but denied an increased rating for bilateral hearing loss.
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