The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his left ankle strain, right ankle injury with residual calcification of the interosseous membrane, and bruxism induced temporomandibular joint dysfunction (TMJ) as there was no evidence to support a higher rating under the applicable diagnostic codes.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the Veteran's symptoms did not warrant a higher rating under any applicable diagnostic code due to the maximum schedular ratings already assigned for limited motion of the ankle and the range of lateral excursion and interincisal range of his TMJ.
- Claimed conditions
- left ankle strain, right ankle injury with residual calcification of the interosseous membrane, bruxism induced temporomandibular joint dysfunction (TMJ)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 30, 2024
- Citation
- A24069913
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection, increased ratings, and earlier effective dates as there was no evidence to support a causal relationship between his current conditions and his active military service.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an initial evaluation of 20 percent for left and right ankle strains, denied a compensable evaluation for bilateral hearing loss, and remanded claims for hypertension and gout.
- Denied
The Board denied earlier effective dates for the grant of service connection and initial increased ratings for various conditions, as well as remanded several issues for further development.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for left shoulder strain, right shoulder strain, early osteoarthritis of the left and right hips (secondary to a service-connected knee disability), and right and left ankle strains (secondary to a service-connected knee disability).
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