The Board found that the Veteran's right ankle disability is currently rated appropriately at 10 percent, and his left ankle disability was not incurred or aggravated by service-connected right ankle posterior tibial tendonitis. The evidence did not support a finding of secondary service connection.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner concluded that the Veteran's left ankle arthritis and gout are independent diagnoses from the service-connected right ankle posterior tibial tendonitis, which is caused by inflammation rather than bony abnormalities. There was no medical opinion linking the right ankle condition to the left ankle disability.
- Claimed conditions
- Right ankle posterior tibial tendonitis, Left ankle degenerative joint disease with a history of gout
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 10, 2016
- Citation
- 1623279
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 1623279.
What this means for you
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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 headaches are at least as likely as not caused by his service-connected traumatic brain injury, and thus grants service connection for this condition.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hypertension and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
- Granted
The Veteran's major depressive disorder is found to be caused by his service-connected low back and radiculopathy disabilities, which prevent him from doing enjoyable activities and daily living tasks.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper extremities, and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities, finding that there was no evidence linking these conditions to his active service or any related exposure.
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