The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for left ankle and lumbosacral spine disabilities were denied as the evidence did not meet the criteria for higher disability ratings under applicable VA rating criteria.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence did not demonstrate functional loss or additional limitation of motion due to pain, weakness, fatigue, or incoordination that would warrant a higher rating than the current 10 percent and 20 percent ratings assigned for left ankle peroneal tendon repair with arthroscopy and lumbosacral spine degenerative disc disease, respectively.
- Claimed conditions
- Left ankle peroneal tendon repair with arthroscopy, Degenerative disc disease of the lumbosacral spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- March 11, 2026
- Citation
- A26021867
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 A26021867.
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 lumbar spine disability is rated at a 40 percent evaluation, effective from the date of the May 2013 rating decision.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for TDIU as his service-connected disabilities did not prevent him from obtaining or maintaining substantially gainful employment.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a retrospective medical opinion to assess the severity and manifestations of the Veteran's service-connected lumbosacral spine disability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for a lumbar spine disability, bilateral knee disabilities, and bilateral hip disabilities to obtain an adequate medical opinion.
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