Ankle decisions — 2025

The Board remands all claims for service connection due to the Veteran's failure to attend scheduled VA examinations, necessitating medical opinions.

The Board denied service connection for a right shoulder disability, left shoulder disability, right knee disability, right ankle disability, and left ankle disability as the evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were related to the Veteran's military service.

The Board denied service connection for left foot joint arthritis, left ankle joint arthritis, right ankle joint arthritis, right foot joint arthritis, and loss of smell. The Board also denied an initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss and a higher rating for bilateral tinnitus.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings and remanded service connection claims.

The Board denied service connection for obesity and bilateral hearing loss, and remanded claims for hyperlipidemia, diabetes, GERD, hypertension, sleep apnea, erectile dysfunction, right knee disability, and right ankle disability due to secondary causes.

The Board granted service connection for a right ankle condition, finding it to be secondary to the Veteran's service-connected left ankle condition.

The appeal for an initial rating in excess of 70 percent for PTSD was dismissed. An effective date of October 25, 1982, but not earlier, was granted for the award of service connection for scarring of the right ankle. The grant of service connection for PTSD with a November 19, 2013 effective date was denied.

The Board granted service connection for a left ankle disorder and assigned initial ratings of 40 percent, but no higher, for right upper extremity radiculopathy and 30 percent, but no higher, for left upper extremity radiculopathy.

The Veteran withdrew the appeal, and the Board has no jurisdiction to review the appeal.

The Board granted service connection for bilateral tinnitus, left foot disorder (flatfoot and plantar fasciitis), right foot disorder (flatfoot and plantar fasciitis), left ankle disorder, left knee disorder, right knee disorder, lumbar spine disorder, left lower extremity radiculopathy, and right lower extremity radiculopathy. The claim for an initial rating in excess of 20 percent for bilateral hearing loss was denied.

The Board granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder of generalized anxiety disorder and depressive disorder, as secondary to the service-connected left ankle disability. Service connection was also granted for pseudofolliculitis barbae, and a 20 percent rating was assigned for left ankle achilles tendonitis from October 23, 2023.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral plantar fasciitis, left foot bone spur, left and right upper extremity radiculopathy, and right ankle lateral collateral ligament sprain as the evidence did not support a finding of an in-service incurrence or a causal relationship between the claimed conditions and the Veteran's military service.

The Board granted service connection for tinnitus but denied service connection for the remaining conditions.

The Board granted an initial rating of 20 percent for left ankle lateral collateral ligament sprain and a higher rating of 40 percent for right shoulder degenerative changes, but remanded the claim for service connection for chronic sinusitis.

The Board granted a 20 percent rating for bilateral lower and upper extremity rheumatoid arthritis but denied higher ratings for the right ankle sprain and a compensable rating for tuberculosis.

The Board granted service connection for left hip osteoarthritis and right hip osteoarthritis as secondary to the Veteran's now service-connected knee disabilities, but denied service connection for a variety of other conditions including bilateral ankle, shoulder, foot, mood disorder, tinnitus, hyperlipidemia, and knees.

The appeal for service connection for right lower extremity radiculopathy was dismissed, and the claim for a disability rating in excess of 70 percent for PTSD was denied. The claims for increased ratings for left ankle conditions were remanded.

The appeal for an initial compensable rating for GERD was withdrawn, and the claims for service connection for a low back disability, bilateral ankle disability, bilateral knee disability, and right knee disability were denied.

The Board denied service connection for adjustment disorder and right ankle pain as the evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were related to the Veteran's active military service.

The Board granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and OSA but denied service connection for hypertension, hypertensive heart disease, right hip pain (secondary to knee disabilities), left ankle disability, and right ankle disability.