The Board denied the veteran's claims for a higher disability rating for left foot hammer toes and surgery scars, as well as an earlier effective date for the surgery scars.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not support a compensable rating for the conditions or an earlier effective date.
- Claimed conditions
- left foot hammer toes, left foot hammer toes surgery scars
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- January 16, 2025
- Citation
- A25004388
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 896 · Granted: 51% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed 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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation A25004388.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for service connection and evaluations for sleep apnea, headache disability, right foot hammer toes, and left foot hammer toes have been dismissed.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's claim for higher ratings for bilateral pes planus with bilateral plantar fasciitis, heel spurs and tenosynovitis, left foot hammer toes, and right foot hammer toes has been granted. A 50 percent rating is assigned for the period from October 30, 2023, and a 10 percent rating is assigned for each of the left and right feet.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for left foot hammer toes and left ankle sprain, as secondary to the service-connected left knee condition due to inadequate addendum medical opinions. Further remand is required to obtain adequate opinions addressing the possibility of aggravation.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for his service-connected right median nerve and carpal tunnel syndrome was granted with a 30 percent rating effective August 8, 2023. The Board also remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for sleep apnea as secondary to PTSD.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.