The Board denied service connection for residuals of a left ankle injury, as the veteran does not currently have a left ankle disability related to his active military service.
The deciding factor: The preponderance of the evidence is against the claim, as there is no evidence of arthritis in 1974, 20 years after his military service, and if the veteran's arthritis of the ankle was due to trauma, X-rays would have shown degenerative or traumatic changes by 1974. Chondrocalcinosis first appeared in 1988 and is not caused by trauma.
- Claimed conditions
- residuals of a left ankle injury
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 16, 2008
- Citation
- 0812690
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 service connection for multiple conditions, including GERD, neck injury, right knee injury, left knee injury, shrapnel wound to the lower left leg, right ankle injury, left ankle injury, RLE neuropathy, and lower back injury.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board granted a readjudication of the veteran's claim for service connection for residuals of a left ankle injury due to new and relevant evidence. The case is remanded for further adjudication.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for residuals of a left ankle injury is denied, while his claim for insomnia disorder is granted.
- Denied
The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unable to secure or maintain substantially gainful employment, and thus denied his claim for TDIU.
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