The Veteran's left and right ankle disabilities have been granted initial ratings of 20 percent each.,The Veteran's left knee strain has also been granted an initial rating of 20 percent.
The deciding factor: The VA examiners found that the Veteran’s ankle and knee disabilities were productive of marked limitation of motion, warranting a 20 percent rating under Diagnostic Code 5271 for ankle disabilities and Diagnostic Codes 5260/5261 for knee disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- Left Ankle Sprain, Left Knee Strain, Right Ankle Sprain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- August 6, 2019
- Citation
- 19160217
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,088 · Granted: 33% (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 19160217.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's right and left knee strains, as well as shin splints, were granted increased ratings. The Veteran also received special monthly compensation at the housebound rate from October 25, 2017 to March 11, 2024.
- Granted
The Veteran's right ankle disability, which includes a Brostrom reconstruction and right ankle sprain, is currently rated at 10 percent prior to November 14, 2024. The Board has granted a 20 percent rating for the entire period on appeal based on marked limited motion of the right ankle.
- Granted
The Veteran's PTSD, sleep apnea, hypertension, right MCA stroke with left-sided hemiplegia and major neurocognitive impairment, headaches, left ankle sprain, cervical sprain, and lumbar disc disease are all granted as secondary to service-connected conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current disability of bilateral hearing loss for VA purposes and therefore, service connection is denied. The claims for tinnitus, an acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD), obstructive sleep apnea, and left knee strain are remanded due to pre-decisional duty to assist errors.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
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.