The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a current right ankle disorder that was incurred or aggravated by service. The RO must attempt to locate and obtain additional service personnel records which may substantiate the veteran's claimed in-service disciplinary action related to substance abuse, as well as arrange for VA examinations of the veteran's mental status and his knees.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence does not establish a causal link between the veteran's current right ankle disorder and active service. The Board finds that additional development is needed to determine if there was in-service disciplinary action related to substance abuse, which may have masked one or more psychiatric disorders incurred or aggravated during service.
- Claimed conditions
- residuals of a right ankle sprain, an acquired psychiatric disorder to include depression and PTSD, an eating disorder, degenerative joint disease of both knees
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 3, 2001
- Citation
- 0109792
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 0109792.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection and increased evaluation of various conditions due to a request for information regarding the competence of the VA examiners who provided expert medical opinions.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for various service-connected conditions, including knee pain, back pain, and anxiety disorder.
- Dismissed
The appeal was dismissed due to the Veteran's passing while it was pending.
- Granted
The Veteran's knee disabilities require regular assistance in accomplishing routine activities of daily living, leading to the grant of SMC at the aid and attendance rate. The issue of entitlement to SMC based on housebound status is moot.
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