The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings were denied. The Board found no current right ankle disability, insufficient left ankle functional impairment to warrant a higher rating, and insufficient evidence of arthritis in the knees to grant an increased rating.
The deciding factor: The preponderance of the evidence did not support the presence of any current right or left ankle disabilities, with the exception of mild tibiotalar osteoarthritis noted on x-ray. The Veteran's complaints were primarily related to his service-connected left ankle disability and its impact on daily activities.
- Claimed conditions
- Right Ankle Disorder, Left Ankle Degenerative Arthritis, Right Knee Degenerative Arthritis, Left Knee Chondromalacia with Degenerative Arthritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 26, 2020
- Citation
- 20056501
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 20056501.
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.
- Granted
The Board has restored the Veteran's disability ratings for right and left knee degenerative arthritis from 10 percent to 10 percent effective January 8, 2025.
- Granted
The Board has granted earlier effective dates for service connection of peripheral vestibular disorder with dizziness/vertigo, depressive disorder, left knee degenerative arthritis, and right knee degenerative arthritis all from July 4, 2023.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has restored the prior ratings for right and left knee degenerative arthritis, but has remanded the issues of increased ratings due to an inadequate VA examination.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for left shoulder disorder, right shoulder disorder, right ankle disorder, and anxiety disorder due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to his military service.
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