The Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 20 percent for right ankle DJD prior to November 2, 2012 was denied. The Board also found that the Veteran did not meet the criteria for TDIU due to service-connected disabilities.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence did not support an increased rating for the right ankle disability and the combined rating of 40 percent did not meet the requirements for a TDIU.
- Claimed conditions
- Right ankle degenerative joint disease (DJD)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- January 25, 2024
- Citation
- 24003835
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,162 · Granted: 21% (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 24003835.
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 and left ankle DJD have been granted increased disability ratings of 20 percent each, effective June 18, 2015.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for various disabilities, including a right hip disability, right ankle DJD, back disability, and psychiatric disability. The issues of increased ratings for knees are also being remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand three issues related to the Veteran's right ankle and knee disorders due to insufficient information regarding functional limitations caused after repeated use over time or during flare-ups. The Veteran will need a new VA examination.
- Remanded (sent back)
This decision grants a 10 percent rating for the Veteran's right ankle disability prior to April 12, 2016. The appeal is remanded for further examination and opinion regarding service connection for chronic diarrhea, increased ratings for right knee disability, sebaceous head cyst removal residuals, and restless leg syndrome.
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