The Veteran's right and left ankle disabilities are granted at a 20% rating each.,A 50% rating for bilateral pes planus is granted effective January 22, 2018. Prior to this date, the disability was not rated higher than 10%. The claimant seeks an earlier effective date which is denied.,The Veteran's TDIU claim is denied as he does not meet the schedular criteria for a TDIU and there is no evidence of unemployability due to his service-connected disabilities prior to January 22, 2018.

The deciding factor: The VA examination demonstrated marked limitation of motion in both ankles, consistent with a 20% rating under Diagnostic Code 5271.,The Veteran's bilateral pes planus was rated at 50% effective January 22, 2018. The earlier date is not factually ascertainable as there were no symptoms warranting this higher rating prior to that date.,There is no evidence of unemployability due to the service-connected disabilities prior to January 22, 2018.

Claimed conditions

right ankle disability, left ankle disability, bilateral pes planus

How they argued it

Direct service connection

Exposure basis

None

Rating assigned

20%

Decision date

November 14, 2019

Citation

A19002825

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 A19002825.