The Board found that the Veteran's discharge was dishonorable due to willful and persistent misconduct, which bars VA benefits. The claims for service connection for left ankle disability, flat feet, bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome, and PTSD were all denied as they are not related to active service.
The deciding factor: The Veteran engaged in a regular pattern of willful misconduct during his period of honorable service, resulting in a dishonorable discharge. The Board found that the conditions do not meet the criteria for direct service connection due to lack of evidence linking them to service.
- Claimed conditions
- Left Ankle Disability, Flat Feet, Bilateral Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Psychiatric Disorder (PTSD)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 31, 2013
- Citation
- 1303221
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 1303221.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- 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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection for left ankle and right shoulder disabilities due to inadequate VA examination opinions. The claims will be reviewed again with new medical opinions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's service connection claims for erectile dysfunction and voiding dysfunction have been denied due to the lack of evidence linking these conditions to his in-service exposure.,The remaining service connection claims (for bilateral feet, ankles, hip, wrist, cervical spine, upper extremity radiculopathy, psychiatric disorder, GERD, sleep apnea, and hypertension) are remanded for further development.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for service connection for GAD is denied as his anxiety symptoms are subsumed under PTSD.,Service connection for Right Shoulder Strain and Left Ankle Disability is denied due to lack of current diagnosis or evidence of functional impairment.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.