The Board has granted service connection for right and left ankle disabilities, finding that the Veteran's symptoms are due to undiagnosed illnesses or medically unexplained chronic multisymptom illnesses (MUCMI) as they manifest during his military service in the Southwest Asia theater of operations.,Service connection is also granted for residuals of a rib injury, based on objective indications of a qualifying chronic disability.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's right and left ankle disabilities are considered presumptive under 38 C.F.R. § 3.317(a)(1) as they manifest during his military service in the Southwest Asia theater of operations, and there is no known clinical diagnosis for these conditions.,For the rib injury claim, the Board found that the Veteran's subjective symptoms did not result in objective findings on examination, but concluded that the disability was due to undiagnosed illnesses or MUCMI as they manifest during his military service.
- Claimed conditions
- residuals of a rib injury, right ankle disability, left ankle disability
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- September 16, 2020
- Citation
- 20060868
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 20060868.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board allowed the benefit or issue identified in this decision. Review the original order: other issues in the same appeal may have a different outcome, and this decision does not predict another claim.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has expanded the scope of the claim to include any mental health disorder raised by the record and has remanded for additional development regarding service connection for left leg, ankle, and psychiatric disabilities.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for left, right ankle disabilities, left and right hip disabilities, left and right shin splints, and left and right knee disabilities due to inadequate nexus opinions in the VA examination reports. The Veteran contends that her current disabilities are related to injuries sustained during basic training.
- Whole decision: Dismissed
The Board has dismissed the appeals for service connection of left knee disability, tension headaches, a left ankle disability, and a back disability due to the Veteran's death.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to new evidence received, and a need for additional medical opinions considering the Veteran's military occupation as a water safety survival instructor.
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