The Veteran's service connection claim for a bilateral ankle disorder, including as due to an undiagnosed illness, is granted based on presumptive service connection under the provisions of the Persian Gulf War Veterans' Act.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the Veteran had qualifying service in the Southwest Asia Theater during the Persian Gulf War and presented objective indications of a chronic disability characterized by moderate limitation of bilateral ankle motion with pain and stiffness, which was not attributable to any known clinical diagnosis. The symptoms were deemed manifestations of an undiagnosed illness.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral ankle disorder
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- January 4, 2017
- Citation
- 1700143
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 1700143.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for a thoracolumbar spine disability, but denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss disorder, gout, multiple painful joints, bilateral ankle disorder, bilateral knee disorder, and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including left hip disorder, bilateral ankle disorder, bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy, heart disorder, insomnia, sexual arousal disorder, gynecological disorder, rheumatoid arthritis, and HTN. The evidence did not support a current diagnosis of these conditions or their relationship to military service.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for a rating in excess of 30 percent for chronic diarrhea with GERD is dismissed. The appeals for earlier effective dates for the grant of service connection for bilateral ankle disabilities are also dismissed.
- Denied
The Board found no current disabilities of the bilateral legs or ankles and thus denied service connection for these conditions.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.