The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral ankle disability is not service-connected due to lack of evidence showing a pre-existing condition aggravated by military service.,For his acquired psychiatric disorder, specifically chronic fatigue syndrome, the Board has found insufficient information and needs further examination to determine its etiology.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence does not support a finding that the Veteran's bilateral ankle disability was incurred or aggravated during active duty. The VA examiner concluded that any current left ankle condition is less likely than not related to service.,Regarding the chronic fatigue syndrome, the Board found insufficient information and requires further examination to determine if it is related to service or an acquired psychiatric disorder.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Ankle Disability, Acquired Psychiatric Disorder (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 23, 2020
- Citation
- 20062649
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 20062649.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
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 right shoulder, lumbar spine, bilateral knee, and bilateral ankle disabilities due to a lack of credible evidence linking these conditions to service or any presumptive exposure.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for tinnitus, bilateral hip, knee, and ankle disabilities due to a lack of evidence supporting an in-service injury or continuity of symptomatology. The claim for a psychiatric disorder was also denied as the Veteran's statements were found not credible.
- Dismissed
The appeal for an initial compensable rating for GERD was withdrawn, and the claims for service connection for a low back disability, bilateral ankle disability, bilateral knee disability, and right knee disability were denied.
- Dismissed
The appeal was dismissed by the Veteran's representative on January 22, 2025.
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