Ankle decisions — 2025

The Board denied the veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for service connection of left ankle lateral collateral ligament sprain, as the earliest available effective date is June 26, 2023.

The Board denied service connection for multiple conditions, including fatigue, bilateral eye disability, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, GERD, penile condition, left foot disability, and others. Some claims were remanded for further development.

The Board denied an initial disability rating in excess of 30 percent for the Veteran's bilateral pes planus and left foot plantar fasciitis, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating. The claims for service connection for left and right ankle disabilities were remanded for further development.

The Board denied a rating in excess of 10 percent for tinnitus and remanded several other claims, including those for PTSD, insomnia, fatigue, migraines with tension headaches, right elbow disorder, and right ankle disorder.

The Board denied service connection for right foot plantar fasciitis, left ankle achilles tendinopathy, post-traumatic (concussion) headaches, and TBI. The appeal for an earlier effective date was also denied.

The Board dismissed the claim for service connection for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss and denied claims for right ankle calcaneal enthesopathy and left ankle calcaneal enthesopathy. The remaining claims were remanded for further development.

The Board denied service connection for various disabilities, including a back disability, neck disability, right pelvic disability, left ankle disability, right ankle disability, left shoulder disability, right shoulder disability, left knee disability, and right knee disability.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for left and right ankle disabilities to provide the Veteran with a VA examination.

The Board granted service connection for onychomycosis (bilateral toenail fungus) and remanded the claims for GERD, chest pain, and an acquired eye disorder.

The appeal of the issues related to increased ratings for various conditions, including tendonitis of the right ankle, osteoarthritis of the left ankle, lumbosacral strain, and radiculopathy in both lower extremities, was dismissed due to a procedural defect.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for bilateral ankle and knee conditions to schedule examinations to determine if the Veteran's complaints rise to the level of a current disability under Saunders v. Wilkie, and whether such disabilities are related to his period of active duty service.

The Board granted service connection for right foot pes planus, left foot pes planus, trigonum impingement, and pes cavus, right ankle sprain, left ankle sprain, right knee strain, and left knee strain. Additionally, the Veteran was granted an initial rating of 60 percent for a skin condition, to include dermatitis and tinea pedis.

The Board denied service connection for various orthopedic conditions and hypertension, as well as an initial compensable rating for a left 5th metacarpal fracture, finding no medical evidence linking these conditions to the Veteran's military service.

The appeal as to the proposed rating reduction of right ankle arthritis was dismissed, and an initial disability rating higher than 10% for right ankle scar was denied.

The veteran withdrew his appeal for all service connection and rating claims, resulting in the dismissal of each claim.

The Board granted service connection for right and left femoral acetabular impingement syndromes, as well as right and left osteoarthritis of the ankles, finding that these conditions are causally related to a service-connected back disability.

The Board granted service connection for right knee degenerative arthritis and denied initial compensable ratings for sarcoidosis, a scar, status post left ankle surgery, and remanded several other claims.

The Board denied service connection for all claimed conditions as the evidence of record did not support a finding that any of these conditions were present during or related to the Veteran's active duty service.

The Board denied service connection for all claimed conditions as the evidence of record did not support a finding that any of these conditions were present during or related to the Veteran's active duty service.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for a lumbar spine disability, left lower extremity radiculopathy, and right ankle disability due to inadequate VA examinations and missing evidence.