The Board has determined that there is no evidence to support the Veteran's claim that his chronic left ankle disability is related to his service-connected degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine. The preponderance of the evidence does not support a finding that the Veteran's current left ankle disability was caused or aggravated by his service-connected lumbar spine disability.
The deciding factor: The March 2009 VA examiner concluded that chronic anterior talofibular tear and osteochondral defect of the left ankle were not caused by or a result of service-connected degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine, as evidenced by the lack of recent onset of disability following the claimed fall in November 2008.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic left ankle disability
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 30, 2011
- Citation
- 1124860
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 1124860.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Board has granted the petitions to reopen claims for service connection for degenerative changes, left knee with Baker’s cyst; chronic left ankle disability; seborrheic dermatitis (claimed as a skin condition due to undiagnosed illness); and hypothyroidism. The claim for service connection for tinnitus is denied.
- Granted
The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for a chronic left ankle disability and granted it, finding that new and material evidence was submitted to establish aggravation of his pre-existing condition during active duty.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including obtaining a supplemental VA medical opinion on whether his current right ankle disability is etiologically linked to service.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral pes planus and a chronic left ankle disability, finding that there was no evidence of in-service injury or aggravation, and concluding that any current disabilities were not related to service.
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