Ankle decisions — 2024

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including alopecia, bilateral epiphora (watery eyes), athlete's feet and toenail fungus, foot bunions, pes planus, left ankle condition, right great toe disability, and loss of balance have all been denied. The Board found that there is no current evidence of these conditions at the time of the claims or proximate to their filing.,The Veteran also attempted to establish service connection for his bilateral lower extremity disabilities as secondary to a back disability, but this claim was not addressed in detail and remains pending.

The Board has dismissed the Veteran's appeals for service connection on all listed conditions due to his death.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional VA examinations and a referral to the Director of Compensation Services due to pre-decisional duty to assist errors.

The Veteran's service connection claims for various conditions, including TBI and Ross River Virus infection, were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not meet the criteria for service connection in all cases.

The Board has granted service connection for left and right ankle disabilities, finding that the Veteran's current diagnoses are etiologically related to his military service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for left knee strain and meniscal tear, left foot drop, and peroneal neuropathy were denied in July 2018. The Board is remanding these issues.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for right ankle disability was also remanded.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection of right ankle damage was dismissed as untimely filed.

The Veteran's claims for an increased rating for boxer's fracture and service connection for bilateral ankle sprain were dismissed because the Veteran did not file a timely Notice of Disagreement on the correct VA form prescribed by the Secretary.

The Veteran's initial rating for tinnitus was denied, and the claim for anxiety disorder based on new evidence received since the last decision is granted. Service connection for neck, right elbow, left elbow, right ankle, and left ankle disorders are all denied.

The Veteran's claims for fibromyalgia, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and chronic headaches (migraines) have been granted with effective dates of June 30, 2020. The Veteran's claims for left ankle sprain, right ankle sprain, left knee condition, and right knee condition are being remanded due to procedural issues.,The Veteran's claim for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) was denied with an effective date of November 8, 2019. The Veteran's supplemental claim seeking an earlier effective date is dismissed as it was not filed within one year of the initial decision.,The Veteran's claims for chronic headaches (migraines), left ankle sprain, right ankle sprain, left knee condition, and right knee condition are being remanded due to procedural issues.

The Board has remanded the case due to a duty to assist error, and will consider evidence submitted after the January 2022 decision.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for a left ankle disability is denied as there is no legal basis for assigning an earlier effective date due to the finality of the October 1991 rating decision.

Service connection for tinnitus and vertigo has been granted, while service connection for TBI, sleep apnea, low back pain arthritis, radiculopathy of the right lower extremity (claimed as neuropathy), radiculopathy of the left lower extremity (claimed as neuropathy), right knee pain arthritis, left knee pain arthritis, right shin splints, left shin splints, right elbow and arm pain arthritis, left elbow and arm pain arthritis, right wrist pain arthritis, left wrist pain arthritis, right shoulder pain arthritis, left shoulder pain arthritis, right hip pain arthritis, left hip pain arthritis, right foot pain arthritis, and left foot pain arthritis have been denied.,Service connection for a left index finger arthralgia has been granted with an effective date of November 12, 2008. Service connection for lateral collateral ligament sprain and degenerative arthritis of the right ankle has been granted with an effective date of July 12, 2021.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for right leg pain and a right ankle condition, chronic pain in the left hip and leg, IBS, and seborrheic dermatitis. The claim for headaches was granted.

The Veteran's right and left ankle disabilities have been rated as 10 percent disabling, with no higher ratings granted. The Veteran's left wrist disability is also rated at 10 percent.,Both knees are currently rated at 10 percent.

The Board denied a rating in excess of 10 percent for the Veteran's right ankle sprain, finding that the medical evidence did not support such an increase.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to a failure to comply with the duty to assist, specifically regarding the adequacy of the VA examination provided at the time of the decision on appeal.

The Veteran's claims for beneficiary travel expenses were denied because they were not submitted within the required 30-day filing deadline, despite a previous suspension of the deadline due to the COVID-19 emergency.

The Board has dismissed all increased rating claims and the special monthly compensation claim due to the Veteran's death.

The Board denied the Veteran's requests for effective dates prior to October 29, 2020, for the grants of service connection for right ankle status post punctuate old avulsion fracture medial distal tibia with instability and tinnitus.