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Whole decision: Denied

The Board found that the veteran's right foot and ankle disorder did not have onset during active service, was not caused or aggravated by his service-connected shrapnel wound of the posterior right knee, and arthritis of the right foot and ankle did not manifest within one year of separation from active service. The Board concluded that the right foot and ankle disorder is not otherwise related to the veteran's active service.

The deciding factor: The VA examiner opined that the veteran's right foot and ankle arthritis was less than 50/50 connected to his right knee shrapnel injury, but provided evidence against this claim based on lack of treatment for the right knee disability and absence of symptoms related to it.

Claimed conditions
heart disease, arthritis of the right foot and ankle
How they argued it
Direct service connection
Exposure basis
None
Rating
Not verified here — check the original decision
Decision date
December 10, 2008
Citation
0842459

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 0842459.

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.

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