Ankle decisions — 2025

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for left shoulder strain, left ankle strain, and left knee strain with shin splint due to his failure to report for scheduled VA examinations without good cause.

The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea as secondary to PTSD, but denied service connection for right and left ankle conditions and a cervical spine condition.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for a right ankle disability, back disability, and headaches to cure pre-decisional errors in VA's duty to assist the Veteran.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for acute left ankle sprain, finding that there was no evidence of an in-service injury or a causal relationship between the current disability and any in-service event. The claims for cervical strain and left shoulder strain were remanded for further development.

The Board remands the claim for a VA examination to determine if separate ratings are warranted for the Veteran's service-connected right ankle disability.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for earlier effective dates and service connection for various conditions, including right knee instability, right knee flexion, right knee extension, non-allergic rhinitis, left ankle lateral collateral ligament sprain, sinusitis, and bilateral hearing loss.

The Board denied the veteran's appeal for an earlier effective date and a higher initial evaluation for left ankle sprain, finding that the earliest possible effective date was August 24, 2022, and that a 10 percent rating accurately reflected the severity of the disability.

The Board granted a disability rating of 40 percent for lumbosacral strain and denied increased ratings for left knee, left ankle, and left foot strains.

The Board denied service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, bilateral hearing loss disability, tinnitus, right ankle chip fracture distal lateral malleolus, and left knee patellofemoral pain syndrome associated with the right ankle condition as they were not shown to be related to or caused by the Veteran's service-connected disabilities.

The Board remands the claims for increased ratings for degenerative disc disease with lumbosacral strain and lateral collateral ligament sprain of the left ankle to ensure a more accurate assessment of the severity of these disabilities.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for left and right ankle disabilities to obtain additional medical opinions.

The Board vacated its November 30, 2023 decision and remanded several claims for further development.

The Board granted a rating of 10 percent for the Veteran's painful left ankle scar, effective September 29, 2022, but denied an initial compensable rating for the same condition.

The Board denied a rating in excess of 10 percent for the Veteran's service-connected chronic right ankle strain, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on moderate limitation of motion.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection, finding that the evidence did not support higher or compensable ratings for the claimed conditions.

The Board denied service connection for various disorders, including hypertension, traumatic brain injury, and multiple joint and foot disorders, as there was no evidence of a current diagnosis at any time during the pendency of the claims.

The Board granted service connection for right and left ankle disabilities, diagnosed as osteoarthritis and lateral collateral ligament sprain (chronic/recurrent), but remanded the issue of basal cell carcinoma and residuals.

The Board granted service connection for a left ankle disability, resolving all reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran.

The Board denied service connection for chronic sinusitis, left ankle disability, jaw disability, left knee disability, carpal tunnel syndrome, peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities, migraine headaches, cervical spine disc bulging at C5-C6 and C6-C7, radiculopathy of the right and left upper extremities, tinnitus, and rhinitis. However, service connection was granted for sleep disturbances (diagnosed as sleep disorder due to mental disorder).

The appeal was dismissed by the Veteran's representative on January 22, 2025.