The Board has determined that the Veteran's low back disability is service-connected, but his right ankle disability was not incurred in or aggravated by active service.
The deciding factor: Service treatment records documented a right ankle sprain during service. However, no chronic right ankle disability was shown until many years after separation from service.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative joint and disc disease of the lumbar spine, Chronic right ankle disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- March 12, 2010
- Citation
- 1009365
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 1009365.
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: Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the appeal for further development, including verification of periods of service and obtaining additional medical opinions.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not prevent him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation during the period from August 30, 2016 to October 6, 2021.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claims for clothing allowances for a back brace in the years of 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2018 due to wear on his clothing caused by his service-connected lumbar spine disability.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the claim for a rating in excess of 10 percent for degenerative joint and disc disease of the lumbar spine due to insufficient information regarding functional impairment during flare-ups or after repeated use. The Veteran should be scheduled for an updated examination.
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