Ankle decisions — 2024

The Board has decided that the claim for service connection for left ankle sprain is remanded due to insufficient evidence regarding whether the Veteran's service-connected lumbar spine disability caused or aggravated his current left ankle sprain.

The Veteran's right and left calcaneal spurs are granted service connection. The Veteran's bilateral hip and shoulder disabilities have been remanded for further examination and opinion.

The Board denied service connection for prostate cancer, fibromyalgia, reflex sympathetic dystrophy, chronic arthritis, left ankle disability, cervical spine (neck) disability, lumbar spine disability, radiculopathy of the left lower extremity, and radiculopathy of the right upper extremity as there is no evidence of an in-service injury or event related to these conditions.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal, requesting to withdraw all issues related to the initial evaluation for left shoulder strain and service connection for various conditions including right shoulder strain, right ankle sprain, left ankle sprain, anxiety, right knee disability, left knee disability, erectile dysfunction, lumbosacral strain, migraines headaches, right upper hand nerve damage, left upper hand nerve damage, and sleep disturbances and/or insomnia.

The Board has vacated its decision denying a higher rating for bilateral hearing loss and remanded the service connection claims for prostate cancer, GERD, rhinitis, and right ankle sprain.,The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss is currently rated at 30 percent.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for left ankle strain, right hip strain, and left hip strain due to lack of evidence supporting a direct or secondary relationship to service.

The Board has granted service connection for thoracolumbar spine disorder, right hip disorder, right knee disorder, left knee disorder, and left ankle disorder. The Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea is also considered secondary to his service-connected orthopedic disabilities.

The Board has determined that new and relevant evidence has been received to readjudicate the claim of service connection for right ankle injury, which was previously denied. The case is being remanded for further consideration by the AOJ.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to duty-to-assist errors. The Veteran failed to attend scheduled VA examinations and the AOJ did not properly develop the claim in accordance with M21-1 provisions governing claims involving foreign residency.

The Veteran's petition to restore the rating for chronic laceration residuals at the right lower extremity was granted. Service connection was established for a left ankle disorder, but denied for bilateral hearing loss and various finger conditions. The reduction in ratings for some disabilities was found to be improper.

The Board denied increased ratings for the Veteran's right and left ankle disabilities, finding that the evidence did not support a rating greater than 10 percent.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection of a left ankle condition, finding that it is at least as likely as not related to his in-service injury.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development and examination due to insufficient evidence regarding the nature and etiology of the Veteran's claimed disabilities, including their relationship to service.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate nexus opinions regarding service connection for obstructive sleep apnea. The Veteran's musculoskeletal and mental disabilities are considered in determining whether they cause or aggravate his OSA.

The Board has denied service connection for a right ankle disability and remanded the claims of entitlement to service connection for right hip strain and left hip strain, both secondary to the Veteran's service-connected left lateral ankle pain with fibroma and stiffness.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have rendered him unemployable since April 15, 2011. The Board has granted a TDIU on an extraschedular basis from that date to September 28, 2015.

The appeal to reopen the claim for service connection for residuals of a right ankle injury is granted. The appeal as to entitlement to service connection for melanoma is denied.

The Board has denied service connection for a bilateral shoulder disability, neck disability, bilateral ankle disability, and bilateral knee disability due to the lack of current diagnosed disabilities related to these conditions.

The Board has granted service connection for left shoulder, right hip, right ankle, and bilateral elbow disabilities based on the evidence showing a qualifying event during service.

The Veteran's claim for a disability rating in excess of 30 percent for bilateral hearing loss is denied. The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for prostate cancer, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), rhinitis, and right ankle sprain due to inadequate medical opinions.,The VA examiner failed to provide adequate rationale for their negative opinion regarding the Veteran's prostate cancer claim. The Board finds a pre-decisional duty to assist error as there is no adequate medical opinion of record addressing whether the Veteran's prostate cancer is etiologically related to his military service.