The Board has determined that there is no evidence to support the Veteran's claims for service connection of left and right ankle disabilities, as his current diagnoses do not meet the criteria for direct service connection due to a lack of medical evidence linking his present conditions to his active duty.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found that the Veteran’s ankle strains were less likely than not incurred in or caused by an event, injury, or illness during active service.
- Claimed conditions
- left ankle strain, right ankle strain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 16, 2019
- Citation
- 19129013
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection, increased ratings, and earlier effective dates as there was no evidence to support a causal relationship between his current conditions and his active military service.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for a right ankle strain, finding that the Veteran's current condition is etiologically related to an in-service right ankle sprain.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an initial evaluation of 20 percent for left and right ankle strains, denied a compensable evaluation for bilateral hearing loss, and remanded claims for hypertension and gout.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss as there was no evidence that it met a compensable level during the period on appeal.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.