The Board denied the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for right ankle and knee disabilities, finding that the evidence did not support higher ratings under applicable criteria.
The deciding factor: The Board found no evidence of ankylosis or marked limitation of motion in the right ankle prior to February 7, 2021, and starting from that date, the Veteran's disability was rated at 30 percent based on limited plantar flexion. For the knee disabilities, there was no evidence supporting higher ratings.
- Claimed conditions
- right ankle osteochondral defect and instability, limitation of flexion of the right knee, limitation of extension of the right knee, instability of the right knee
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 31, 2024
- Citation
- 24032507
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.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the appeals for earlier effective dates related to various left and right hip, knee, shoulder, and other conditions as they were freestanding claims not continuously pursued from the initial rating decisions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the issues of entitlement to increased ratings for limitation of extension of both the left and right knees for further development, including an adequate VA examination.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the issues of entitlement to increased ratings for right knee conditions due to insufficient medical evidence.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including left knee strain post meniscectomy with degenerative arthritis and ankylosis, degenerative disc disease lumbar spine with stenosis and disc bulge, limitation of extension of the right knee, chronic right knee strain, impairment of the knee, residuals of left fractured ribs, tinnitus, hearing loss, and a scar associated with the left knee, were productive of functional impairment which precluded substantially gainful employment from January 26, 2015 through September 21, 2017.
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