The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for left ankle and right elbow disabilities due to a lack of evidence linking these conditions to his military service. The VA examiners found that any current disability is more likely related to post-service activities, such as work at a cable company.
The deciding factor: VA examiners concluded that the Veteran's current left ankle and right elbow conditions are not linked to his military service due to lack of chronicity or ongoing treatment for these conditions during service.
- Claimed conditions
- Left ankle arthralgia, Right elbow arthralgia and right lateral epicondylitis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 22, 2022
- Citation
- 22016429
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 22016429.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has granted the Veteran's requests to readjudicate his claims for service connection for right and left ankle disabilities, as well as a right foot disability. However, these issues are being remanded due to new evidence submitted after the November 2022 rating decision.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected right knee, left knee, right ankle, and left ankle arthralgia are each rated at 10 percent. The Board denied the claims for higher ratings as there is no evidence of limitation of motion or instability that would warrant a higher rating under applicable VA regulations.
- Granted
The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims for service connection for left and right ankle disabilities, as new and material evidence was submitted. The claims are now remanded to determine the etiology of any current bilateral ankle arthralgia.
- Granted
The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, including PTSD, depression, schizophrenia, and memory loss. The claims for bilateral ankle arthralgias, bilateral knee arthritis, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus have been granted.
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