The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for left ankle disability, finding that his current left ankle arthritis was not incurred or aggravated in service and is not presumed service-connected. The Board also found no evidence of secondary service connection due to a service-connected low back disability causing or aggravating the left ankle disability.
The deciding factor: The preponderance of the evidence did not support continuity of symptomatology from the 1971 sprain in service, and there was insufficient evidence linking the current left ankle arthritis to service. The Board also found no medical causation between the Veteran's service-connected low back disability and his left ankle disability.
- Claimed conditions
- left ankle arthritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 12, 2019
- Citation
- 19193061
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 19193061.
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 service connection for various conditions, including prostate cancer and related disabilities, urinary incontinence, sleep apnea, hypertension, varicose veins, lumbar spine disability, hip arthritis, shoulder arthritis, ankle arthritis, knee strain, knee replacement, and hand arthritis. The only condition granted was a 10 percent rating for a fracture of the right proximal first metacarpal.
- Granted
The Board granted restoration of a 20 percent rating for left ankle arthritis effective January 1, 2025.
- Remanded (sent back)
The appeal was remanded to correct errors made by the AOJ in complying with an earlier Board remand, specifically to obtain outstanding private treatment records.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for a right foot disability, left ankle arthritis, and right ankle arthritis as of July 20, 2007, but remanded the claim for a compensable rating for a left foot disability.
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