The Veteran's left ankle disability does not meet the criteria for a higher rating as there is no evidence of ankylosis or actual loss of use of the foot. The preponderance of the evidence is against his claim.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not show fixation at an angle sufficient to warrant a higher rating, and the Veteran's ankle was fixed at 90 degrees with no abduction, adduction, eversion, or inversion deformity.
- Claimed conditions
- Left ankle injury, Degenerative changes
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 10, 2009
- Citation
- 0913591
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 0913591.
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 has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for right and left ankle injuries, finding that there is no evidence of a nexus between the current conditions and military service.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, finding no new and relevant evidence to support a change in previous denials.
- Granted
The Veteran's left ankle disability, which includes an osteochondral defect and ligament tears from a previous surgery, is now rated at 10 percent effective October 1, 2016.
- Granted
The Veteran's left ankle disability was rated at 10% prior to February 7, 2021. After the revision of VA regulations, a 20% rating for marked limitation of motion is granted effective August 21, 2009.
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