The Board finds that the Veteran's current right ankle disability is not related to his service and denies the claim for service connection.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner concluded that the Veteran's current degenerative joint disease of the right ankle was more likely due to an age-related consequence of a pre-service injury, rather than an in-service injury.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative joint disease of the right ankle, Acquired posterior tibia tendon insufficiency
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 10, 2016
- Citation
- 1605097
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 1605097.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board denied increased ratings for degenerative joint disease of the right ankle but granted a separate rating for instability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for a rating in excess of 10 percent for degenerative joint disease of the right ankle and entitlement to TDIU due to an issue being inextricably intertwined.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's appeal for a disability rating in excess of 10 percent for his right ankle disability, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating.
- Denied
The Veteran's right ankle disability, including instability and a scar, is rated at the maximum allowable under current criteria. A separate rating for mild instability is granted.
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