The Veteran's appeal for increased ratings and TDIU was denied. The highest rating of 40 percent for left ankle replacement is granted effective April 1, 2013.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not support a higher schedular rating or extraschedular consideration for any period during the appeal.
- Claimed conditions
- Left ankle synovitis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 40%
- Decision date
- August 14, 2014
- Citation
- 1436377
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 1436377.
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 restored the initial 10 percent disability ratings for right ankle synovitis, left ankle synovitis, and right elbow lateral epicondylitis that were previously reduced to noncompensable effective April 1, 2013.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not prevent him from obtaining or keeping employment prior to March 5, 2014. The Board found that the Veteran's substance abuse disorder was a contributing factor material to his disability determination and thus he has not been disabled within the meaning of the Social Security Act at any time from the alleged onset date through the date of this decision.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's combined rating for his service-connected disabilities is 60%, which does not meet the schedular requirements for a TDIU. However, due to his employment history and education level, he may be unemployable as a result of his lumbar spine disability on an extraschedular basis.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
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