The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection of DDD of the lumbar spine, left ankle disorder, and left foot disorder. The decision found no new and material evidence to reopen the claim for DDD of the lumbar spine. It also determined that there is no current disability for left ankle or foot disorders.
The deciding factor: The Board concluded that the Veteran does not have a current left ankle or foot disorder, and has not had any such disability at any time during the pendency of the claim or recent to the filing of the claim. The post service treatment records do not support current disability for these conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative disc disease (DDD) of the lumbar spine, Left ankle disorder, Left foot disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 18, 2019
- Citation
- 19179621
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board is remanding the claims for service connection due to a regulatory duty to assist error.
- Partly granted
The Veteran's left foot disorder was rated at 10 percent from July 21, 2023, to December 18, 2023, and a 20 percent rating was granted as of the earlier effective date of December 18, 2023.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for a left ankle disorder and assigned initial ratings of 40 percent, but no higher, for right upper extremity radiculopathy and 30 percent, but no higher, for left upper extremity radiculopathy.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for bilateral tinnitus, left foot disorder (flatfoot and plantar fasciitis), right foot disorder (flatfoot and plantar fasciitis), left ankle disorder, left knee disorder, right knee disorder, lumbar spine disorder, left lower extremity radiculopathy, and right lower extremity radiculopathy. The claim for an initial rating in excess of 20 percent for bilateral hearing loss was denied.
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