The Board has determined that there is new and material evidence to reopen the Veteran's claim for service connection of a right ankle injury. However, the weight of the evidence does not support finding a nexus between the current right ankle condition and in-service ankle sprains.
The deciding factor: The VA examinations and medical opinions indicate no history of fractures during service, and the Veteran's first reports of pain were in 2003 at the earliest. The Board finds that an ankle fracture would likely be documented in the service treatment records but is not present in this case.
- Claimed conditions
- Right Ankle Injury
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 24, 2017
- Citation
- 1734924
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 1734924.
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 Veteran's service-connected PTSD alone is found to prevent him from obtaining and maintaining substantially gainful employment, and he is granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) and special monthly compensation (SMC) based on the statutory housebound criteria.
- Granted
The Veteran's request for a restoration of a 20% rating for his right ankle injury, to include degenerative changes, as of July 1, 2010, is granted. A rating in excess of 20% for the same condition remains denied.
- Granted
The Veteran was found to be unable to maintain substantially gainful employment due to service-connected disabilities from November 1, 2010 through June 6, 2012. The Board granted a TDIU for this period based on the combined disability rating of at least 70%.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, diabetes, right ankle injury, hearing loss, and tinnitus, have rendered him unable to secure or maintain substantially gainful employment. The Board has granted a total disability based upon individual unemployability (TDIU).
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