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
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 252 · Granted: 33% (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 A25096945.
What this means for you
A partial grant means some issues were granted while others were denied or remanded — common in multi-issue claims. Look at which issues went which way, and how each was argued.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection of bilateral hearing loss and a ruptured right ear drum was dismissed due to the death of the Veteran.
- Denied
The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was noted upon entry into active duty service and did not increase in severity during service. Therefore, it denied his claim for service connection.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral hearing loss, migraine headaches, and PTSD due to additional development of records and examination.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss claim, specifically needing an addendum opinion from a VA examiner. The Veteran will be asked to provide any missing records and former employers' information.
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