The Board denied service connection for a right knee disorder as secondary to a service-connected left ankle disability and denied increased ratings for the Veteran's left ankle and lower leg conditions.
The deciding factor: The medical opinions provided by VA examiners determined that there was no causal link between the Veteran’s service-connected left ankle disability and his claimed right knee disorder, and that the Veteran did not have severe incomplete paralysis of the left lower extremity as required for a higher rating.
- Claimed conditions
- Right knee disorder, Left ankle disability
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- November 8, 2019
- Citation
- 19184821
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 an acquired psychiatric disorder, a right knee disorder, and a lumbar spine disorder.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including diabetes mellitus, type II, coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure, hypertension, asthma/lung disease, vision disability, bilateral plantar fasciitis, leukocytosis, kidney disease/kidney stones, enlarged prostate, sleep apnea, rheumatoid arthritis, lumbar spine disability, right ankle disability, and left ankle disability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error regarding VA's obligation to obtain relevant records from the Social Security Administration.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss, service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, and service connection for right knee and right ankle disorders.
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