The Veteran's left hip disability is found to be secondary to his service-connected knee and ankle disabilities. The right ankle disability rating reduction from 20% to 10% was upheld as the VA examination did not reflect sustained material improvement of the right ankle disability.
The deciding factor: The September 2007 VA C&P examination report did not reflect sustained material improvement of the Veteran's right ankle disability, thus failing to meet the legal requirements for a reduction in rating.
- Claimed conditions
- Left Hip Disability, Right Ankle Disability
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- March 8, 2012
- Citation
- 1208867
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 1208867.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board has denied service connection for the claimed conditions as there is no persuasive evidence of current diagnoses or in-service incurrence or aggravation.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for right and left ankle disabilities, as well as denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss. The Veteran's claims for other conditions are remanded due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for both a right hip disability and a left hip disability, finding that the Veteran's observable symptoms of pain and stiffness began during his active service and have persisted.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's generalized anxiety disorder is granted a 70% rating. The left hip disability claim is remanded due to insufficient medical opinion regarding causation and aggravation.
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