The Board has denied the Veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for a right ankle disability as secondary to his service-connected left knee disability, finding that the current right ankle disorder is not proximately due to or aggravated by his service-connected left knee disability.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner opined that the Veteran's service-connected left knee disability 'less likely' than not caused or aggravated his current right ankle disability, citing a lack of objective evidence of an altered gait or limp and the absence of peer-reviewed literature supporting the theory that the arthritis is due to or aggravated by the claimed altered gait.
- Claimed conditions
- Right Ankle Arthritis, Residuals of Right Ankle Fracture/Sprain
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 31, 2017
- Citation
- 1736723
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 1736723.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board denied an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for right tarsal tunnel syndrome prior to May 8, 2025, and granted a 20 percent rating from that date. The other claims were remanded.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 30 percent evaluation for GERD and a 50 percent evaluation for cluster headaches, but denied an increased rating for right foot plantar fasciitis. The Veteran was also granted a 10 percent evaluation for external hemorrhoids effective May 19, 2024.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for service connection of his right ankle disability is denied. For the entire period on appeal, a rating of 30 percent for right ankle ankylosis with tenosynovitis status post arthrodesis is granted.
- Granted
The Veteran is granted TDIU and SMC from November 20, 2020 due to his service-connected Major Depressive Disorder. The effective date for these benefits is set as of the date he filed his VA Form 21-8940 application.
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