The Veteran's claim for service connection for a right shoulder disability was denied as there is no current diagnosis and the Board found that his subjective complaints of pain alone do not constitute a disability.,For residuals of a right distal fibula fracture, prior to April 9, 2018, the Veteran's claim was denied as he did not have a marked ankle disability. Effective April 9, 2018, a rating of 30 percent was granted for malunion with marked ankle disability.,The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his right knee and hip disabilities were both denied as there is no evidence that the flexion limitation meets or exceeds the required criteria for an increased rating.
The deciding factor: There is no current diagnosis of a right shoulder disability, and subjective complaints alone do not constitute a disability.,The Veteran did not have a marked ankle disability prior to April 9, 2018. Effective April 9, 2018, the Veteran's disability was characterized as marked based on his symptoms and functional limitations.,There is no evidence of flexion limitation that meets or exceeds the required criteria for an increased rating in either the right knee or hip disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- Right shoulder disability, Right distal fibula fracture, Right knee strain, Right hip disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- May 31, 2018
- Citation
- 18106606
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 18106606.
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: Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection of a right knee disability, finding that there was no nexus between his current condition and active duty service.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has granted service connection for cervical spine strain, right wrist sprain, right knee strain, left knee strain, and right ankle strain. The disabilities are all deemed to have begun during the Veteran's active duty.
- Whole decision: Dismissed
Your appeal of the March 28, 2025 rating decision that deferred adjudication of your right hip disability claim has been dismissed.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claim for service connection of a right knee condition due to inadequate VA opinions and incomplete record development regarding his National Guard service.
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