The Veteran's right ankle disability was rated at 20 percent prior to August 7, 2019 and a rating in excess of 20 percent is denied. A 20 percent rating for left ankle disability from August 7, 2019 is granted.,Compensable ratings are not warranted for the Veteran's right ankle disability prior to August 7, 2019 as marked limitation of motion was shown but no ankylosis. From August 7, 2019, a rating in excess of 20 percent is denied due to lack of findings for ankylosis.,A 20 percent rating for left ankle disability from August 7, 2019 is granted as marked limitation of motion was shown but no ankylosis. Prior to this date, a rating in excess of 10 percent is denied due to lack of findings for ankylosis.
The deciding factor: The evidence shows that the Veteran's right ankle disability exhibited marked limitation of motion prior to August 7, 2019 but no ankylosis. A rating in excess of 20 percent is not warranted as it is the maximum schedular rating provided for limited motion without ankylosis.,From August 7, 2019 onwards, marked limitation of motion was shown with findings for pain on weightbearing which more nearly reflects a 20 percent rating based on marked limitation of motion. Ankylosis was not found.,Prior to August 7, 2019, the evidence did not show ankylosis but marked limitation of motion. From this date onwards, marked limitation of motion with findings for pain on weightbearing more nearly reflects a 20 percent rating.
- Claimed conditions
- Right ankle disability, Left ankle disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 26, 2019
- Citation
- 19188802
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,902 · Granted: 11% (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 19188802.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date of January 10, 1997, for a 10% disability rating for his right ankle disability is denied as there was no CUE in the previous decisions.
- Granted
The Board has granted the appellant's claim for service connection for left ankle disability residuals, finding that his current condition is due to an in-service injury and granting the benefit of the doubt.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding whether the Veteran's right ankle disability is related to his service. The VA examiner must provide an opinion on this matter.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's claims for service connection have been dismissed due to their death.
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