The Board found that the veteran's current complaints of pain, weakness, and loss of range of motion in his right foot and ankle are related to his service-connected soft tissue tumor of the right lower leg and non-service-connected hemiplegia from a cerebrovascular accident. Therefore, the Board denied service connection for a right foot and ankle disability.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner opined that the veteran's current symptoms were not related to his military service but rather to his pre-existing conditions (soft tissue tumor and stroke).
- Claimed conditions
- Right foot and ankle disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- September 10, 2004
- Citation
- 0425016
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 0425016.
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: Granted
The Veteran's bilateral foot and ankle disabilities are characterized by severe burning pain, but the severity has not been shown to warrant a higher rating. A 20 percent rating is granted for each foot.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the cases for additional development due to new evidence and possible changes in eligibility for benefits such as TDIU, SMC, and amputation ratings.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
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