The Veteran's service connection claim for a left ankle disability due to the July 1987 MVA is denied.,Service connection for osteoarthritis of the lower back and hypertension secondary to PTSD are remanded.
The deciding factor: The evidence does not support a finding that the Veteran's alcohol abuse disorder was proximately caused by or aggravated by his service-connected PTSD, thus denying service connection on this basis.
- Claimed conditions
- Left ankle disability, Osteoarthritis of the lower back, Hypertension (secondary to PTSD), PTSD with major depressive disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- October 21, 2021
- Citation
- 21064788
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 21064788.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has granted the appellant's claim for service connection for left ankle disability residuals, finding that his current condition is due to an in-service injury and granting the benefit of the doubt.
- Whole decision: Dismissed
The Veteran's claims for service connection have been dismissed due to their death.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's appeal for SMC at the housebound rate was denied as he did not have a single service-connected disability rated as 100 percent disabling, and his TDIU based on PTSD with major depressive disorder alone is not sufficient to meet the criteria for SMC at the housebound rate.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's left ankle disability and headache disorder secondary to PTSD with alcohol use disorder have been granted increased ratings, effective September 16, 2018.
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