The Board has determined that the veteran's claims for service connection for back disorder, neck disorder, headaches, left hip disorder, and right knee disorder are well grounded. The evidence supports a finding of secondary service connection for these conditions based on their relationship to his service-connected recurrent left ankle sprain.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence shows that the veteran's in-service left ankle injury led to compensatory gait patterns which may have caused microtrauma and repetitive trauma to the right foot, resulting in a neuroma. The Board finds this sufficient to establish secondary service connection for his right foot neuroma.
- Claimed conditions
- back disorder, neck disorder, headaches, left hip disorder, right knee disorder
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 6, 2000
- Citation
- 0009186
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 0009186.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to the need for additional development, including obtaining SSA records and providing proper notice regarding secondary service connection.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for headaches and increased ratings for left shoulder rotator cuff tear, right shoulder rotator cuff tear, hypertension, and left and right leg restless leg syndrome. The Board denied a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss and an initial rating in excess of 70 percent for posttraumatic stress disorder.
- Dismissed
The appeals for restoration of ratings and for a higher disability rating were dismissed as the April 2025 rating decision did not make final decisions on these issues.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for an increased initial disability evaluation of headaches due to an inadequate VA examination.
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