The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a right ankle disability and an initial rating higher than 30 percent for generalized anxiety disorder. The evidence did not support the Veteran's assertions of in-service injury or continuous symptoms, and his lay statements were found to be not credible.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's account of an in-service right ankle fracture was inconsistent with contemporaneous medical records, which consistently referred to a left ankle sprain. Additionally, there was no objective evidence from x-rays suggesting a right ankle fracture during service.
- Claimed conditions
- Right Ankle Disability, Generalized Anxiety Disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 30%
- Decision date
- March 2, 2016
- Citation
- 1608470
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 1608470.
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 determined that the Veteran's generalized anxiety disorder is related to his active-duty service and has granted service connection for this condition.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected Generalized Anxiety Disorder with Major Depressive Disorder is rated at 50 percent, effective December 14, 2021. The Board also granted a TDIU based on the Veteran's service-connected conditions.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorders, including PTSD, panic disorder, major depressive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and ADHD, finding that these conditions had onset during his military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for service connection for various psychiatric disabilities, arrhythmia, cardiac amyloidosis, and CAD/arteriosclerotic heart disease are remanded due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the etiology of these conditions.
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