The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral ankle arthritis was not incurred in or aggravated by active service, may not be presumed to have been so incurred, and is not proximately due to or aggravated by his service-connected bilateral knee disabilities.
The deciding factor: There is no evidence of a current disability during service or within one year after separation. The VA examiners' opinions are that the Veteran's ankle disorder was at least as likely as not caused by aging combined with strenuous post-service civilian employment, and not related to his service-connected bilateral knee disorders.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral ankle arthritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- December 14, 2017
- Citation
- 1758130
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 1758130.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for a right shoulder disability and remanded the claims for bilateral ankle arthritis, sleep apnea, bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome, erectile dysfunction, degenerative disc disease, cervical, bilateral plantar fasciitis with arthritis and heel spurs, and gastroesophageal reflux disease.
- Whole decision: Dismissed
The Veteran's claims for service connection for bone disease, hemorrhoids, neck arthritis, back arthritis, bilateral hand arthritis, bilateral knee arthritis, and bilateral ankle arthritis have been dismissed due to the Veteran's withdrawal of his appeal. The claim for hypertension has been granted.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral ankle arthritis as secondary to his service-connected disability of pes planus.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral foot arthritis and bilateral ankle arthritis, finding that there was no evidence of an in-service occurrence or a link to service.
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