Ankle decisions — 2024

The Board has denied the readjudication of claims for service connection for various knee, shoulder, ankle, and lumbar spine disabilities as no new and relevant evidence was received to reopen these claims.

The Veteran withdrew all issues on appeal during his hearing, indicating satisfaction with his current benefits.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have not precluded substantially gainful employment, and he has not been in receipt of a total rating or identified a permanent and total disability. The Board denied the TDIU and permanent and total evaluation claims as the evidence did not show that his service-connected disabilities alone were sufficient to produce unemployability.

The Board has determined that there is new and relevant evidence to reopen the claims for left knee disability and right ankle disability. The Veteran's left knee disability is granted, but his right ankle disability requires further examination and review.

The Veteran's claims for higher ratings for bilateral pes planus with plantar fasciitis, cervical strain with intervertebral disc syndrome (IVDS), left ankle sprain, right ankle sprain, and left upper extremity radiculopathy have all been denied. The highest schedular rating has already been assigned for each condition.

The Board has decided to remand the claims for service connection for degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine and left ankle osteochondral defect due to inadequate medical opinions provided prior to the January 2020 rating decision on appeal.

The Board denied the Veteran's request to restore a 20% rating for his left ankle disability, finding that the reduction from 20% to 10% was proper based on improvement in the condition.

Your previous appeals for service connection for knee and ankle arthritis have been dismissed because the July 12, 2021 notice of disagreement was found to be duplicative.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not result in the physical loss or permanent loss of use of one or both hands or feet, and therefore, he does not qualify for financial assistance in purchasing an automobile or other conveyance or adaptive equipment.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is remanded due to the failure to schedule VA examinations for his service-connected disabilities. The Veteran has multiple service-connected conditions, and a full examination is needed to assess their impact on employment.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals for right knee osteoarthritis, left knee osteoarthritis, and left ankle sprain with tendonitis before the Board. The appeal is dismissed as a result.

The Board denied service connection for right foot, left foot, left knee, and right knee disabilities due to a lack of evidence showing an in-service injury or disease that caused the current conditions.,Service connection was also denied for left ankle and right ankle disabilities as there is no evidence linking these conditions to active service.

The Board has determined that a VA medical examination is necessary to determine the nature and etiology of the Veteran's claimed left ankle condition, as the current opinion provided by the VA examiner was insufficient for purposes of adjudicating the claim.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's adenomyoepithelioma was not incurred in active service and remanded the remaining issues for further development.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings were dismissed due to his death. The Board has no jurisdiction to adjudicate the merits of these claims as he passed away during the appeal process.

The Board has dismissed the appeals for service connection of left ankle arthritis, right knee disability, and right hip disability as they are duplicates of other pending appeals. The Veteran's claim for service connection for atrophy of right lower extremity with weakness is granted due to his service-connected lumbar spine disability.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeals regarding earlier effective dates and higher disability ratings for various conditions, including left hip arthritis, peripheral vascular disease, degenerative arthritis with lumbosacral strain, right knee arthritis, and ankle strain. The Board dismissed the appeal due to the withdrawal.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for clothing allowances due to lack of evidence showing that the use of his lumbar spine brace, right ankle brace, or skin cream caused wear and tear on his clothing.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for lumbosacral strain and left ankle sprain due to deficiencies in the medical opinions provided. The appellant is seeking service connection for these conditions, which are currently denied.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to inadequate medical opinions provided prior to the June 2019 SOC. The VA must obtain addendum medical opinions addressing whether any currently diagnosed conditions are related to his in-service combat training and running with heavy equipment.