The Veteran's appeal for increased ratings for right hip strain and right ankle strain has been denied. The Board found that the evidence did not show limitation of abduction beyond 10 degrees, flexion limited to 45 degrees, extension limited to 5 degrees, or ankylosis, which are required for a higher rating under the applicable diagnostic codes.
The deciding factor: The VA examinations showed that the Veteran's right hip and ankle disabilities did not meet the criteria for higher ratings as they did not show limitation of abduction beyond 10 degrees, flexion limited to 45 degrees, extension limited to 5 degrees, or ankylosis.
- Claimed conditions
- Right Hip Strain, Right Ankle Strain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- January 10, 2020
- Citation
- 20002434
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,948 · Granted: 29% (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 20002434.
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for higher ratings on several conditions have been dismissed due to the Veteran withdrawing his appeals.,The Board has not assigned a specific rating or effective date as the claims are being remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to an inadequate VA examination regarding the Veteran's right hip strain.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for bilateral hip strain, as secondary to service-connected lumbar spine and right ankle conditions. A new VA medical examination is needed to determine if the Veteran's hip strains are related to her service-connected disabilities.
- Granted
The Veteran is granted a rating of 10 percent for each hip strain, impairment of thigh motion.,Compensable ratings are denied for left and right hip strains, limitation of flexion.
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