The veteran's service-connected right ankle disability affects her foot, but she can still bear weight and walk with some limitations. The Board finds that the requirements for SMC based on loss of use of the right foot are not met.
The deciding factor: The veteran has significant limitation of right ankle motion and other functional impairment of the foot, which is not equivalent to loss of use of her foot.
- Claimed conditions
- right ankle fusion
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- October 18, 2002
- Citation
- 0214567
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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 0214567.
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: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided that the Veteran's right ankle fusion is related to her service-connected brain stem vascular malformation and remanded for further development.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that additional development is needed to properly adjudicate the service connection claims for various knee and ankle conditions, hearing loss, tinnitus, and sleep apnea. The appellant's military duties are believed to have contributed to her current disabilities.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected right ankle fusion, right and left carpal tunnel syndrome are being remanded due to the need for additional VA examinations to assess the severity of his conditions.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied service connection for a right ankle disability because the Veteran's injury was caused by his own willful misconduct during active duty, and thus not incurred in line of duty.
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