The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection of a right ankle condition and an increased rating for his right shoulder disability. The Board found no current right ankle disability, and concluded that the veteran did not have chronic right ankle symptoms during service or within one year after separation from service. For the right shoulder disability, the Board noted subjective complaints of persistent pain but found no evidence of a current disability on examination.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence did not show any current right ankle condition, and there was no established continuity of symptomatology post-service to support service connection for this condition. The veteran's right shoulder disability (tendonitis) was noted with subjective complaints of persistent pain but objective findings were limited to limitation of motion without a diagnosis of arthritis or other chronic condition.
- Claimed conditions
- Right ankle condition, Right shoulder disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- March 24, 2006
- Citation
- 0608636
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's appeal for increased ratings for right and left shoulder disabilities, as the evidence did not support a higher rating under applicable criteria.
- Denied
The Board denied readjudication of the claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, aphthous ulcers, a right elbow condition, an enlarged prostate, a right ankle disorder, and a left ankle disorder as no new and relevant evidence was received.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for a right knee disability and PTSD, remanded several claims including those for a left knee disability, right shoulder disability, hypertension, craniomandibular disorder, and a compensable rating for residuals of a right femur fracture.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error regarding VA's obligation to obtain relevant records from the Social Security Administration.
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