The Board denied the Veteran's claims for a compensable evaluation prior to June 15, 2021, and an evaluation in excess of 10 percent since that date for left ankle scars associated with left ankle total arthroplasty.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not show the Veteran's left ankle scars affected the head, face, or neck, nor did it show three unstable or painful scars. The scars were superficial and linear, barely noticeable as they appeared normal skin color, and had an approximate total area of zero cm2 prior to June 15, 2021, and 11.75 cm2 since that date.
- Claimed conditions
- left ankle scars
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 7, 2025
- Citation
- A25031926
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,272 · 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 A25031926.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the appeal as it did not receive any arguments or evidence from the Veteran and his attorney within the allotted time.
- Dismissed
The Veteran requested to withdraw his appeal for a compensable disability rating for left ankle scars, and the Board has dismissed the appeal.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's left ankle scars are currently assigned a noncompensable evaluation, and the appeal for an initial compensable evaluation is denied.,The effective dates for service connection of right knee disorder and left ankle scar, low back disorder, and right lower extremity radiculopathy are all denied as they cannot be earlier than May 12, 2014.
- Granted
The Veteran is granted a total disability rating based upon individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities prior to August 28, 2023, and basic eligibility for Dependents' Educational Assistance benefits.
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