The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's residuals of a right rib fracture, finding that it was caused by his service-connected left ankle disability. The issue of increased rating for the left ankle fracture residuals is remanded due to inconsistencies in the examination reports.
The deciding factor: Service connection was granted on a secondary basis as the Veteran's current right rib disability was found to be caused by his service-connected left ankle disability, which resulted from instability and frequent falls.
- Claimed conditions
- residuals of a right rib fracture, left ankle fracture residuals
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 17, 2024
- Citation
- 24031899
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 785 · Granted: 34% (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 24031899.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for right foot plantar fasciitis, cervical spine degenerative disc disease, and left ankle fracture residuals are being remanded due to the need to obtain Social Security Administration (SSA) records.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected conditions do not meet the criteria for specially adapted housing or a special home adaptation grant due to his inability to use assistive devices and his ability to independently ambulate.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected musculoskeletal disabilities do not render him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment, as he has maintained substantial income from previous employment and his current education and work history suggest he can perform sedentary or semi-sedentary work.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's appeal for a rating in excess of 10 percent for his left ankle disability, as the evidence did not support a higher rating.
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