The veteran's service-connected dysthymia and right ankle sprain do not prevent him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.
The deciding factor: The VA psychiatrist found the veteran's overall psychiatric impairment to be moderate, with no severe impairment in his ability to work.
- Claimed conditions
- Dysthymia, Right ankle sprain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 70%
- Decision date
- November 1, 2002
- Citation
- 0215500
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 0215500.
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.
- Granted
The Board has granted a rating of 30 percent for the Veteran's right ankle sprain with pain and limitations in mobility, finding that his symptoms are functionally equivalent to ankylosis. The Veteran is not entitled to a higher rating as there is no evidence of actual ankylosis or ankylosis equivalent.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the appellant's right ankle sprain is related to an injury sustained during service and grants the claim for service connection.
- Denied
The Veteran's TDIU claim was denied because the evidence did not show that his service-connected PTSD rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected other specified trauma and stressor related disorder is granted at a 50% rating from July 21, 2011 to August 15, 2020. The Board also granted an effective date of February 9, 2006 for the grant of service connection.
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