The Veteran's right ankle disability was granted an initial 20% rating effective January 23, 2012.,An initial 20% rating for the left ankle disability was granted effective September 30, 2014.
The deciding factor: The VA examinations and medical evidence supported a finding of marked limitation of motion in both ankles, warranting the assigned ratings under Diagnostic Code 5271.
- Claimed conditions
- Chronic Achilles tendonitis, Ankylosis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- October 24, 2019
- Citation
- 19180796
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 880 · Granted: 26% (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 19180796.
What this means for you
A partial grant means some issues were granted while others were denied or remanded — common in multi-issue claims. Look at which issues went which way, and how each was argued.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the claim for an increased rating of right elbow, residuals gunshot wound, traumatic arthritis elbow, ankylosis, and scars right upper extremity (major) due to a duty-to-assist error in not providing an examination related to the Veteran's right hand symptoms.
- Denied
The Veteran's right ankle disability, characterized by ankylosis with inversion deformity, pain, swelling and severe limitation of motion, is rated at the maximum schedular rating of 40 percent. The Board denied a higher rating as his symptoms are encompassed by the current rating.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for increased rating and TDIU due to inadequate examinations in previous decisions. The right ankle issue is being addressed first, with a request for updated VA and private treatment records, as well as a new examination to assess the severity of the service-connected right ankle disability throughout the entire appeal period.
- Denied
The Board denied a higher rating for the Veteran's left wrist conditions, finding that the evidence did not meet the criteria for an increased rating prior to June 11, 2019 and in excess of 40 percent from that date forward.
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