Ankle decisions — 2025

The Board granted service connection for a right ankle lateral collateral ligament sprain and increased the disability rating for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) to 70 percent. The claims for major depression, anxiety condition, and other increased ratings were denied.

The Board granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder and denied service connection for a right ankle sprain.

The Board granted service connection for the Veteran's lumbosacral strain and degenerative arthritis of the spine, finding that it was caused by his active service.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for a left ankle condition, hearing loss, and back condition to correct pre-decisional errors, specifically failing to provide adequate VA examinations and medical opinions.

The Board denied service connection for various disabilities and a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss, as well as a higher rating for tinnitus.

The appeal for service connection for a left ankle condition was dismissed due to the lack of an explicit denial in the July 2022 higher-level review rating decision, and it was not adjudicated by the AOJ.

The Board denied an initial rating in excess of 50 percent for the Veteran's service-connected adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depressed mood, and an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for degenerative arthritis of the right ankle.

The Board remands the claims for increased ratings and service connection due to the need for additional medical opinions regarding functional ankylosis and aggravation of obstructive sleep apnea by service-connected disabilities.

The Board granted service connection for depressive disorder with anxious distress, effective February 18, 2022, and granted a 20 percent rating for the lumbar spine disability from March 6, 2017 to June 4, 2018, and again from July 27, 2021 to May 5, 2022.

The Board granted an initial rating of 20 percent for the Veteran's left ankle disability, but denied increased ratings for left ear sensorineural hearing loss and pseudofolliculitis barbae.

The Board remands the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions due to missing service treatment records.

The Board denied a rating in excess of 10 percent for the Veteran's right ankle strain based on the evidence showing no more than moderate limited motion.

The Board remands the issues for additional development, including new VA examinations to assess the current severity of the Veteran's service-connected disabilities and to determine the etiology of any claimed conditions.

The Board denied service connection for a psychiatric disorder, to include anxiety and depression, as there is no evidence of an in-service event or occurrence related to the condition. The claim was remanded for further development regarding a left ankle condition and hearing loss.

The Board denied service connection for right hip, left hip, right knee, left knee, and left ankle disabilities as there was no evidence of a current disability during the appeal period.

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

The Board denied service connection for a left ankle disorder and separate ratings for asthma and obstructive sleep apnea, but granted service connection for a liver cyst.

The Board remands the matter for a VA medical opinion to evaluate the severity of the Veteran's left ankle disability without the beneficial effects of medication.

The appeal for service connection for ulcers was reopened and granted, while the claims for right ankle disability, left knee disability, and gastric disability (claimed as ulcers with recurrent symptoms) were remanded.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for a cervical spine or neck disability and left ankle disability for additional development, as the prior VA examination was found to be inadequate.