The Board has denied service connection for a cervical spine disability, right ankle strain, and mild right foot retrocalcaneal spur as there is no evidence of an in-service injury or disease that could be linked to the current disabilities.
The deciding factor: There was no in-service injury or disease related to the claimed conditions, and the Veteran's assertions regarding causation are not supported by medical evidence.
- Claimed conditions
- Functionally impairing cervical spine disability, Right ankle strain, Mild right foot retrocalcaneal spur
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 7, 2026
- Citation
- A26031561
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 A26031561.
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 Board has granted service connection for cervical spine strain, right wrist sprain, right knee strain, left knee strain, and right ankle strain. The disabilities are all deemed to have begun during the Veteran's active duty.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for right ankle strain and remanded the issue of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a lack of an adequate medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's right ankle strain. The claim will be returned for further development.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the November 2024 rating decision is remanded due to a duty-to-assist error, specifically regarding the adequacy of the VA examination and consideration of the effects of medication on the Veteran's bilateral ankle disabilities.
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