The Veteran's back disability is rated at 20% prior to December 13, 2017 and at 40% thereafter. The ratings for right ankle tendonitis and left ankle tendonitis are denied. A TDIU was granted for the period before December 13, 2017.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's back disability did not meet criteria for a higher rating as it did not result in ankylosis or incapacitating episodes of IVDS.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbar spondylosis deformans with partial L5 sacralization and intervertebral disc syndrome, right ankle tendonitis, left ankle tendonitis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 16, 2019
- Citation
- 19103916
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,035 · Granted: 30% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 19103916.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for right ankle tendonitis, finding that the Veteran's current disability is at least as likely as not related to his military service.
- Granted
The April 24, 1995, Rating Decision was reversed and service connection for coccyx disability is granted. Other motions for revision of the April 24, 1995, Rating Decision were denied or remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection for right and left ankle tendonitis due to a pre-decisional duty-to-assist error in the April 2021 medical opinion. The case is being returned to the AOJ for an addendum opinion.
- Dismissed
The Board has dismissed the appeal regarding the proposed discontinuance of a temporary total rating based on convalescence for right ankle tendonitis and instability status-post subtalar arthrodesis ORIF due to procedural issues.
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