The Veteran's right ankle tendinitis is granted a 20 percent rating from February 22, 2010.,The Veteran’s left knee disability and instability are both rated at 10 percent since February 22, 2010.
The deciding factor: The March 2020 VA examination report showed marked limitation of motion in the right ankle tendinitis which warranted a maximum 20 percent rating under DC 5271. For left knee disability and instability, there was no indication of ankylosis or other conditions that would warrant higher ratings.
- Claimed conditions
- Right ankle tendinitis, Left knee patellofemoral pain syndrome (left knee disability)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 14, 2020
- Citation
- 20078891
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 20078891.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's psychiatric disability is rated at a higher initial rating of 70 percent, effective from September 30, 2015 to May 10, 2023. The lumbar spine disability and left knee disability are denied for the respective periods, while the left foot disability receives a higher initial rating of 20 percent.
- Denied
The Board granted an effective date of October 29, 2016, for the award of a 70 percent rating for posttraumatic stress disorder with panic disorder but denied earlier effective dates and service connection for other conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for Graves' disease as secondary to PTSD and increased evaluations for right and left knee disabilities due to lack of compliance with prior remand directives.
- Denied
The Veteran's right ankle tendinitis has been rated at 10 percent, but the Board found that it did not meet the criteria for a higher rating as there was no evidence of 'marked' limitation of motion.
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