The Veteran's appeal for a higher disability rating for his right Achilles tendon rupture was denied, but he received an increased rating to 20 percent effective from the date of his claim. He also received a 10 percent rating for his right ankle surgical scar since March 14, 2012.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's range of motion in his right ankle was greatly reduced, with flexion limited to less than 10 degrees and dorsiflexion limited to less than 10 degrees. The Board found that the disability warranted a 20 percent rating based on moderate limitation of motion.
- Claimed conditions
- Right Achilles tendon rupture
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- January 3, 2024
- Citation
- 24000429
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,836 · Granted: 31% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 24000429.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for a higher evaluation for right Achilles tendon rupture residuals with surgical repair was denied, as the evidence did not show an increase in symptoms warranting a rating higher than 20 percent. The current evaluation of 20 percent is granted for the period from March 31, 2011 through August 22, 2023.
- Denied
The Board denied an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for right Achilles tendon rupture, finding that the Veteran's disability only included moderate limitation of motion.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for an extraschedular disability rating for right Achilles tendon rupture is remanded due to the need for information about the qualifications of the 2017 VA examiner and a new examination.
- Granted
The Board has granted an initial evaluation of 20 percent for the Veteran's right Achilles tendon rupture, finding that his symptoms meet the criteria for this rating based on marked limitation of motion.
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