The Board granted restoration of the 30 percent evaluation for bilateral flat feet and denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss. Various claims for increased ratings and service connection were remanded.

The deciding factor: The reduction in the rating for the Veteran's bilateral flat feet was void ab initio due to a failure to follow proper procedures, while there was no evidence of a current hearing loss disability or a causal relationship between any such disability and his active service.

Claimed conditions

bilateral flat feet, bilateral hearing loss, rheumatoid arthritis left hand with painful motion of the little finger, rheumatoid arthritis left hand with painful motion of ring finger, rheumatoid arthritis right hand with painful motion of index finger, rheumatoid arthritis right hand with painful motion of thumb, rheumatoid arthritis left hand, with painful motion of the thumb, index, and long finger, rheumatoid arthritis right hand, with painful motion of ring finger, rheumatoid arthritis right hand, with painful motion of long finger, rheumatoid arthritis right hand, with painful motion of little finger, bilateral upper extremities Raynaud's syndrome, left wrist sprain, right wrist sprain, left shoulder pain, left knee pain, left ankle pain, right ankle pain, lumbar spondylosis (claimed as lumbar spine strain), cervical spine strain, hypoesthesia and paresthesia of left leg

How they argued it

Direct service connection

Exposure basis

None

Rating assigned

None in this decision

Decision date

November 6, 2025

Citation

A25096945

Want to see how appeals like this one tend to go? Appeals like mine