The Board denied a higher disability rating for the Veteran's right ankle sprain with ligament tears, finding that his current limitation of motion is only moderate and does not warrant a rating higher than 10 percent.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found that the Veteran’s range of motion was outside normal but within acceptable limits due to gout unrelated to the service-connected right ankle disability. The proposed changes to Diagnostic Code 5271 did not support a finding of marked limitation of motion, and the Veteran's functional loss from his right ankle disability does not equate to more than the current 10 percent rating.
- Claimed conditions
- Right Ankle Sprain with Ligament Tears, Gout
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- April 10, 2019
- Citation
- 19128038
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
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