The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a left ankle disability, finding that there was no evidence of chronicity or continuity of symptoms since service and concluding that the current condition is not causally related to service.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found that the Veteran’s current left ankle instability, lateral collateral ligament sprain, and degenerative arthritis are less likely as not incurred in or caused by his military service due to lack of evidence of ongoing symptoms since separation from service and significant risk factors such as age, obesity, and post-service employment.
- Claimed conditions
- left ankle instability, lateral collateral ligament sprain, degenerative arthritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 28, 2020
- Citation
- 20080978
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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for left ankle instability as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected left ankle disability and hypertension, but denied increased ratings for the left ankle disability and other forms of arthritis.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for a right foot disability, diagnosed as degenerative arthritis, fibrocartilaginous calcaneonavicular with lateral cuneiform cuboid coalition, other unspecified right ankle disorder, and status post right foot fracture.
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