The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for left ankle lateral collateral ligament sprain was denied. However, he received a separate 10% disability rating for left ankle instability associated with his service-connected condition.
The deciding factor: The VA examiners consistently found that the Veteran had marked limitation of motion in his left ankle, which warranted the current 20% rating under Diagnostic Code 5271. Instability was suspected but not confirmed by tests, leading to a separate 10% rating for instability under Diagnostic Code 5262.
- Claimed conditions
- left ankle lateral collateral ligament sprain, degenerative arthritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- October 30, 2020
- Citation
- 20070679
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The appeal is remanded to correct pre-decisional duty to assist errors, including the failure to obtain relevant treatment records and provide adequate VA examinations.
- Dismissed
The appeal seeking service connection for diabetes mellitus, type II, degenerative arthritis, hyperlipidemia, and hypertension was dismissed due to non-compliance with claims processing rules.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for various service-connected conditions, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating under applicable criteria.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for various conditions to correct pre-decisional duty to assist errors, including obtaining outstanding Social Security Administration records.
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