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Denied

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for swelling of the ankles, legs, and hands was denied. The Board found that his bilateral ankle arthritis did not manifest to a compensable degree within one year of discharge from active duty nor was it causally or etiologically related to service or to a service-connected disability.,The Veteran's appeal for service connection for discoloration of the feet was also denied. The Board found that his metatarsal fracture of the left foot did not manifest to a compensable degree within one year of discharge from active duty nor was it causally or etiologically related to service or to a service-connected disability.

The deciding factor: The preponderance of the evidence is against finding that the Veteran's orthopedic disabilities were incurred in service, due to a service-connected disorder, or manifest within one year of discharge.

Claimed conditions
Swelling of the Ankles, Discoloration of the Feet
How they argued it
Direct service connection
Exposure basis
None
Rating assigned
None in this decision
Decision date
August 22, 2014
Citation
1437617

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 1437617.

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