The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection of a left ankle condition, finding that there is no medical evidence to support a link between his current left ankle condition and his service-connected knee disabilities. The Board also found that the left ankle condition was not incurred in service.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner opined that the Veteran’s chronic left ankle sprain is less likely than not proximately due to, the result of, or aggravated by his service connected knee disabilities, as there was no significant altered gait observed during the examination and no history of such over a significant period of time.
- Claimed conditions
- Left ankle condition
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 26, 2019
- Citation
- 19189532
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 19189532.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied readjudication of the claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, aphthous ulcers, a right elbow condition, an enlarged prostate, a right ankle disorder, and a left ankle disorder as no new and relevant evidence was received.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for a left ankle condition, sleep apnea, lower back condition, and right hip condition as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected bilateral pes planus, bilateral hallux valgus, degenerative joint disease of the right knee, and right ankle calcaneal spur.
- Partly granted
The Board denied an initial compensable disability rating for hypertension and remanded the claims for service connection for a left ankle condition and bilateral hearing loss due to inadequate VA examinations.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, a left ankle condition, a lower back condition, and radiculopathy of both lower extremities as they require further development.
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