The Veteran's bilateral foot and ankle disabilities are characterized by severe burning pain, but the severity has not been shown to warrant a higher rating. A 20 percent rating is granted for each foot.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence shows that the Veteran experiences significant pain in her feet, which impacts her ability to stand or walk for prolonged periods. However, there are no symptoms more reflective of severe disability (such as swelling on use, extreme tenderness, marked deformity, or marked pronation) warranting a higher rating.
- Claimed conditions
- Left foot and ankle disability, Right foot and ankle disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- January 28, 2020
- Citation
- 20006851
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 20006851.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for low back and left foot and ankle disabilities as secondary to a right ankle disability. The Veteran's current diagnoses are linked to his service-connected right ankle disability.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various foot and ankle disabilities, right knee disability, left hand disability, and right shoulder disability. The issue of entitlement to service connection for gastrointestinal reflux disease (GERD) is also denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the cases for additional development due to new evidence and possible changes in eligibility for benefits such as TDIU, SMC, and amputation ratings.
- Denied
The Board found that the veteran's current complaints of pain, weakness, and loss of range of motion in his right foot and ankle are related to his service-connected soft tissue tumor of the right lower leg and non-service-connected hemiplegia from a cerebrovascular accident. Therefore, the Board denied service connection for a right foot and ankle disability.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.