Ankle decisions — 2024

The Veteran's appeal has been dismissed as the Veteran withdrew their appeal prior to a decision being made.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to new evidence submitted by the Veteran, which may affect the claim for service connection of ankle disability. The case will be reviewed again with a new medical examination.

The Veteran does not meet the criteria to qualify for a specially adapted housing or home adaptation grant due to his service-connected disabilities and does not have a permanent total disability rated as 100 percent disabling.

The Board has dismissed the appeal as it cannot be in both systems simultaneously due to an existing legacy appeal for similar issues.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for two broken legs and two crushed ankles is being remanded due to the submission of new evidence. The Board will consider whether these conditions are related to his military service.

The Veteran's appeal regarding the reduction of his disability rating for degenerative joint disease of the right ankle from 20 percent to 10 percent, effective April 1, 2019 is remanded due to procedural issues.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for various knee and ankle conditions, as well as degenerative arthritis of the spine with spondylolisthesis, were denied. The evidence did not show that any of these conditions warranted a rating in excess of 10 percent.

The Veteran's death is being remanded for a complete review of his VA file to determine if he was in receipt of service-connected benefits at the time of his death, which would affect his eligibility for burial benefits. The appeal will be reconsidered based on this new information.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection on multiple conditions have been dismissed due to his withdrawal of the appeal.

The Board has determined that the claims for higher ratings and entitlement to TDIU must be remanded due to pre-decisional duty to assist errors, specifically regarding the left fibula disability. The Veteran's other left leg disabilities were examined, but not his left fibula disability.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the etiology of his lumbar spine disorder, right lower extremity radiculopathy, left and right ankle disorders, and erectile dysfunction. The Veteran will be afforded new VA examinations to determine these issues.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service connection claims for various orthopedic disabilities should be remanded due to a duty to assist error. The claims will now include medical opinions considering the Veteran's lay contentions about his in-service pain and duties.

The Board has granted service connection for recurrent right ankle injury residuals including degenerative joint disease and recurrent lumbosacral spine injury residuals including mechanical low back pain and lumbosacral strain, finding that the conditions were initially manifested during active service.

The Board has granted service connection for low back degenerative disc disease, left lower extremity radiculopathy, left hip strain, and left knee degenerative arthritis with left knee strain, all secondary to the Veteran's service-connected left ankle disability.

The Veteran's service-connected left and right ankle disabilities are currently rated as 10 percent disabling each, but the evidence does not support a higher rating based on limitation of motion.

The Veteran's PTSD is granted service connection, while his right eye disorder and tinnitus are denied. The lumbar spine and cervical spine disorders have been remanded for further review.

The Board has granted service connection for testicular hypofunction, sciatica, and right knee degenerative joint disease. Service connection was denied for fatigue, left ankle disability, right ankle disability, left shoulder disability, left wrist disability, and right wrist disability.

Service connection is granted for a right ankle disability and bilateral hearing loss, but denied for tinnitus.,The Veteran's right shoulder disability claim is remanded due to the need for additional VA development.

The Veteran's appeal involves multiple issues related to his service-connected and non-service-connected disabilities, including foot conditions and leg disabilities. The Board has determined that additional evidence is needed in the form of VA examinations for both foot and leg disabilities.

The Board has granted the reopening of service connection for left ankle synovitis, but denied the claim itself due to lack of evidence linking it to service.