The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a right ankle condition, an effective date prior to September 14, 2012 for bilateral hearing loss, and an initial disability rating in excess of 10 percent for recurrent tinnitus.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not establish that the Veteran suffered an in-service injury to his right ankle or any other service-connected condition that caused or aggravated his current right ankle condition. The Board found the Veteran's statements regarding his in-service injuries to be incredible and inconsistent with the record, which included STRs showing treatment for various conditions during service.
- Claimed conditions
- Right Ankle Condition
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 18, 2019
- Citation
- 19147467
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 19147467.
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 granted service connection for various conditions, including obstructive sleep apnea, left hip condition, GERD, irritable bowel syndrome, back condition, right knee condition, left ankle condition, right ankle condition, erectile dysfunction, and bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy, all secondary to the Veteran's service-connected bilateral foot/toe conditions.
- Partly granted
The Veteran's service connection for GERD was granted, while the claims for left and right hand degenerative arthritis were denied. The rating for his right ankle condition was increased to 20 percent effective September 25, 2014.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an initial rating of 70 percent for adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depressed mood, chronic, but denied earlier effective dates and service connection for left ankle condition, right ankle condition, and stress fracture of the right femur.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the matters of the reduction in the evaluation for GERD, and service connection claims for right and left ankle conditions due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error.
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.