The Board found no evidence linking the Veteran's current left foot and ankle disorders to his military service, including an in-service injury. The Veteran's symptoms have been chronic but not directly linked to service.
The deciding factor: There is no medical evidence showing a direct link between the Veteran's current gout in the left ankle and any incident during service.
- Claimed conditions
- Left Foot Gout, Left Ankle Sprain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- February 16, 2012
- Citation
- 1205928
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 1205928.
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 Veteran's PTSD, sleep apnea, hypertension, right MCA stroke with left-sided hemiplegia and major neurocognitive impairment, headaches, left ankle sprain, cervical sprain, and lumbar disc disease are all granted as secondary to service-connected conditions.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's TDIU rating based on depressive disorder is granted from October 17, 2018 to March 26, 2019. SMC at the housebound rate is also granted prior to March 26, 2019.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has granted restoration of the Veteran's ratings for his service-connected right and left ankle disabilities from 30% to 10%, effective November 1, 2020.
- Whole decision: Partly granted
The Board granted an initial 10 percent rating for bilateral hearing loss but denied a higher rating and also denied an increased rating for left ankle sprain.
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