Ankle decisions — 2025

The Veteran withdrew his appeal for all service connection claims.

The Board denied the Veteran's appeal for an initial rating greater than 20 percent for residuals of a right ankle fracture and lateral collateral ligament sprain with osteochondritis dissecans, to include osteochondral fracture and degenerative arthritis, status-post Brostrom surgery.

The Board granted a 30 percent disability evaluation for migraine headaches and denied increased ratings for other conditions, including degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine with compression fracture L3, spondylosis L4, lumbar strain, and intervertebral disc syndrome (IVDS), among others.

The Board denied service connection for low back, neck, right ankle, left ankle, and hearing loss conditions but granted service connection for tinnitus.

The Board remands the claim for a left ankle condition to obtain an appropriate medical opinion.

The Board denied service connection for multiple conditions, including cervicalgia, left and right hip disabilities, right ankle disability, diabetes mellitus, neuropathy of the lower and upper extremities, and a skin disability. The claim was also granted for a 20 percent rating for left ankle sprain with chronic achilles tendonitis and degenerative arthritis.

The Board denied service connection for a left ankle disorder, a left leg disorder, and an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD. However, it granted an initial rating of 20 percent for residuals of bladder cancer and 10 percent for a scar of the left lower quadrant.

The Board remands the Veteran's claims for initial compensable ratings for multiple service-connected disabilities to obtain an opinion on their severity from a clinician.

The Board granted service connection for sleep apnea, a right knee collateral ligament sprain, and a right ankle disability on a direct basis.

The Board remands the claim for an increased rating in excess of 10 percent for service-connected right ankle sprain residuals to afford the Veteran a VA examination and obtain a medical opinion regarding the severity of his condition, including any ameliorative effects of medication.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for various disabilities, including a low back disability, cervical spine disability, shoulder and knee disabilities, ankle and elbow disabilities, wrist disabilities, and a skin disorder, to correct pre-decisional duty to assist errors.

The appeal was dismissed due to the Veteran not demonstrating good cause for an untimely filing of a Notice of Disagreement (NOD) within one year of notification of the February 2023 and March 2023 rating decisions.

The Board remands the claim for service connection of gout in multiple joints, to include as secondary to chronic kidney disease, due to an inadequate opinion regarding secondary service connection and a need for additional evidence.

The Board granted service connection for headaches, a back disability, and bilateral foot disabilities (peripheral neuropathy) as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected conditions. The claims for service connection for left ankle and right ankle disabilities were denied. Other claims, such as increased ratings and effective dates, were either denied or remanded.

The Board remands the service connection claims for intervertebral disc syndrome (IVDS) of the lumbar spine, left lower extremity sciatica secondary to IVDS, bilateral plantar fasciitis, a left ankle condition, a left foot condition, and hypertension due to duty-to-assist errors.

The Board granted service connection for a neck scar, dismissed the claim of entitlement to service connection for drug and alcohol abuse, and denied service connection for depression, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), dizziness disorder, fatigue disorder, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, degenerative arthritis, left ankle arthritis, and left foot disorder.

The Board granted service connection for right ankle sprain residuals, resolving reasonable doubt in the Veteran's favor.

The Board is remanding the case to correct an issue in the SSOC and ensure only the appeal issues are addressed.

The Board denied service connection for hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and hemorrhoids. It granted a 20 percent rating for mild degenerative changes of the right ankle with small osteophytic spurs from both malleoli.

The Board denied increased ratings for the Veteran's intervertebral disc syndrome, bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy, and bilateral knee degenerative arthritis, as well as left ankle strain.