Ankle decisions — 2024

The Board denied service connection for left ankle, right ankle, left hip, right hip, left knee, right knee, and back disabilities due to a lack of competent and probative evidence indicating current diagnoses of these conditions.

The Board has identified errors in the initial decision and has ordered remand for further examination to determine if the Veteran's left ankle sprain and erectile dysfunction are related to his service or any service-connected conditions.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for right shoulder and right ankle disabilities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the onset and etiology of these conditions.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a left ankle condition is granted. The Board also finds that the Veteran has bilateral plantar fasciitis, but remands to obtain an addendum opinion regarding whether it is related to his service-connected conditions or if it was aggravated by them.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection for tinnitus, bilateral hearing loss, left ankle sprain, and left knee condition are dismissed due to procedural defects in how the appeal was filed under the AMA system.

The Board has granted service connection for a left knee disability as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected right ankle disability.

The Veteran's service connection claims for bilateral pes planus, plantar fasciitis, cervical strain, lumbosacral strain, left and right lower extremity radiculopathy, left and right hip strains, left and right knee conditions, and tinnitus have been granted. The Veteran is also assigned a 10 percent rating for each of the affected limbs.

The Veteran's claims for hearing loss, degenerative arthritis of the spine (back disability), right knee disability, left knee disability, right ankle disability, and left ankle disability have been dismissed as they were previously denied in a January 2015 rating decision. The Veteran did not dispute or appeal these decisions.,The Veteran's claim for bilateral tinnitus has been denied because the evidence does not show that his current tinnitus is related to service.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for chronic sinusitis was dismissed as moot because the claim had already been fully granted with an effective date of October 18, 2021. The claims for GERD and IBS were remanded due to a duty to assist error in scheduling VA examinations. The bilateral hip, ankle, wrist, and shoulder disabilities were also remanded.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection for various knee, hip, and ankle disorders due to inadequate medical opinions. The AOJ will obtain new VA medical opinions addressing whether these conditions are proximately due to or the result of her service-connected low back disorder.

The Veteran's claim for service connection of a right ankle disability is remanded due to incomplete STRs and the need for a VA examination.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various foot, shoulder, knee, and neurological disorders. The evidence does not support a finding that any of these conditions are related to his military service.,There is no medical evidence linking any of the claimed disabilities to service.

The Board has remanded the claims for further development, including obtaining range of motion measurements and new medical opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's hypertension and shoulder/knee disorders. The initial rating claim for a right ankle gunshot wound scar is granted with a 10 percent rating.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome and residuals of a right ankle fracture, did not render her unemployable prior to August 11, 2021. The Board found that the Veteran was unemployable due to a nonservice-connected psychotic disorder.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities prior to March 3, 2014, finding that his service-connected disabilities did not render him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's bilateral tinnitus is rated at the maximum schedular evaluation (10%) and no higher, as it does not present an exceptional disability picture for extraschedular consideration.,The Veteran's right ear hearing loss is rated at Level I, which is noncompensable. The Veteran contends that a compensable rating is warranted.

The Veteran seeks service connection for right ankle, shin, knee, and femur disabilities. The appeal is currently remanded to determine the nature of these disabilities.,Service records show stress fractures in the tibia, femurs, and ankles during active duty.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for hypertension, left ankle disorder, right knee disorder, and left knee disorder due to inadequate opinions in the May 2022 VA examinations. The Veteran is requested to provide new VA examinations that capture any functional loss associated with pain and address whether her conditions are caused or aggravated by service-connected bilateral pes planus with plantar fasciitis.

The Board denied service connection for right ankle pain as there is no current diagnosis of a right ankle condition.

The Veteran's service-connected prostate-related disabilities are found to be the primary cause of his depression, which is granted as secondary service connection. The left ankle disability claim is remanded due to inadequate examination.