The Veteran's right ankle disorder was rated at 10 percent prior to February 12, 2015 and increased to 20 percent from May 1, 2015. The lumbosacral strain was initially rated at 20 percent prior to September 20, 2018 and increased to 40 percent thereafter.,The Veteran's appeal for higher ratings for his right ankle disorder and lumbosacral strain has been denied.
The deciding factor: The evidence does not support a finding of ankylosis or other conditions that would warrant a higher rating under the applicable VA Rating Schedule criteria.
- Claimed conditions
- Right Ankle Disorder, Lumbosacral Strain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 8, 2019
- Citation
- 19161645
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,886 · Granted: 24% (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 19161645.
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for higher ratings on several conditions have been dismissed due to the Veteran withdrawing his appeals.,The Board has not assigned a specific rating or effective date as the claims are being remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has found a pre-decisional error in the denial of the Veteran's request to change his vocational rehabilitation goal from diesel technology to obtaining a music degree. The case is being remanded for further evaluation and consideration.
- Granted
The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings have been granted, with effective dates set at October 18, 2023. The lumbosacral strain has also received a higher initial rating.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for left shoulder disorder, right shoulder disorder, right ankle disorder, and anxiety disorder due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to his military service.
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