The Veteran's claims for service connection for chronic right and left ankle disorders, as well as chronic right and left knee disorders, have been denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a finding of in-service injury or disease related to these conditions.,For his chronic right shoulder disorder and chronic left shoulder disorder, the Veteran's claims were also denied.
The deciding factor: The VA treatment records do not show any current diagnoses for the claimed ankle disorders. The January 2017 VA examiner opined that the Veteran’s ankle sprains are less likely related to his in-service injuries.,There is no evidence of an in-service injury, event, or disease relating to the Veteran's knee conditions. The Board found that the Veteran did not provide any lay or medical evidence showing a specific in-service injury, event, or disease.
- Claimed conditions
- Right Ankle Sprain, Left Ankle Sprain, Right Knee Medial Meniscal Tear Status Post-Surgical Repair, Left Shoulder Degenerative Arthritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 14, 2023
- Citation
- A23032068
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 A23032068.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's right ankle disability, which includes a Brostrom reconstruction and right ankle sprain, is currently rated at 10 percent prior to November 14, 2024. The Board has granted a 20 percent rating for the entire period on appeal based on marked limited motion of the right ankle.
- Granted
The Veteran's PTSD, sleep apnea, hypertension, right MCA stroke with left-sided hemiplegia and major neurocognitive impairment, headaches, left ankle sprain, cervical sprain, and lumbar disc disease are all granted as secondary to service-connected conditions.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not result in the physical loss or permanent loss of use of his hands or feet, nor does he have a severe burn injury. Therefore, he is ineligible for financial assistance for an automobile and adaptive equipment.
- Granted
The Board has granted restoration of the Veteran's ratings for his service-connected right and left ankle disabilities from 30% to 10%, effective November 1, 2020.
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