The Veteran's appeal for higher ratings on his left ankle disability, service connection for right and left leg disabilities, and acquired psychiatric disorder was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a rating in excess of 10 percent for the left ankle sprain or service connection for the right and left leg disabilities. The back and hip conditions were remanded due to insufficient information on their relationship with service. The Veteran's right and left hand disabilities were also remanded as they may be related to congenital defects, but further clarification is needed.
The deciding factor: The Board found that there was no evidence of current diagnoses for the right and left leg disabilities or back disability at any time relevant to the appeal period. The Veteran’s service connection claims were denied because he did not have a current disability that began during service or was related to an in-service injury, event, or disease.
- Claimed conditions
- Left ankle sprain, Right ankle disability, Left leg disability, Left hip disability, Back disability, Right hand disability, Left hand disability, Acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD and an anxiety disorder)
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 1, 2021
- Citation
- 21005397
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 21005397.
What this means for you
A remand sends an issue back for more development, often a new examination or missing records. It does not award the benefit or decide the final outcome. The original decision explains the additional work ordered.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection of a back disability, finding that there was no evidence to support a nexus between his current condition and active duty service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claim for a back disability due to incomplete service records and failure to consider all available evidence, including in-service treatment records from F.E. Warren Air Force Base.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date of January 10, 1997, for a 10% disability rating for his right ankle disability is denied as there was no CUE in the previous decisions.
- Granted
The Veteran's rating for residuals status post lumbar fusion was reduced from 40 percent to 20 percent effective October 25, 2023. The reduction was granted as there was no evidence of actual improvement in the Veteran's condition prior to this date.
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