For the period December 18, 2002 to September 8, 2003, the Veteran's left ankle synovitis caused no more than moderate limitation of motion.,From September 9, 2003, there is no evidence that the Veteran's left ankle is ankylosed.
The deciding factor: The VA joints examination found the Veteran to have good range of motion in his left ankle with dorsiflexion 20 degrees and plantar flexion to 45 degrees. The private physician found his Achilles lacked 5 degrees of dorsiflexion, with a puffy and tender ankle, as well as other pathology.
- Claimed conditions
- left ankle synovitis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- October 29, 2009
- Citation
- 0941229
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 0941229.
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 Board granted service connection for a left ankle disability, finding that the current left ankle disability is etiologically related to the service-connected left foot plantar fasciitis.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has granted the reopening of service connection for left ankle synovitis, but denied the claim itself due to lack of evidence linking it to service.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the cases due to inadequate examination reports regarding functional loss caused by repetitive use over time and flare-ups for both right knee patellofemoral syndrome and left ankle synovitis.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has granted service connection for left ankle synovitis, right ankle synovitis, and bilateral foot arthritis. The decision is based on the Veteran's in-service parachute jumps and her current diagnoses of synovitis and arthritis.
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