Ankle decisions — 2025

The veteran's appeals for an earlier effective date and increased ratings for left ankle lateral collateral ligament sprain, bilateral hearing loss, and service connection for sleep apnea were dismissed because the veteran withdrew all pending appeals.

Service connection for the right ankle sprain and right knee strain was granted. Service connection for the left ankle condition, left knee condition, left hand condition, and left elbow condition was denied. The issues of entitlement to service connection for the right hand condition, right elbow condition, right hip condition, and back condition were remanded.

The veteran's claims for higher disability ratings for back and left ankle disabilities were denied, but the claim for a higher rating for ADHD was remanded.

The Board has decided to remand the cases for further development and consideration, including obtaining an addendum medical opinion on the etiology of the Veteran's left ankle, low back, and left hip disabilities. The issues are also intertwined with a claim for TDIU.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for left ankle and left wrist sprain disabilities due to a lack of adequate medical examination, including an assessment of functional loss during flare-ups.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for various foot, ankle, and hip disabilities due to inadequate examination findings and missing medical records. The Veteran contends his current conditions are related to his active-duty service or secondary to his service-connected bilateral knee disabilities.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not render him unable to obtain or maintain a gainful occupation for the period prior to October 11, 2022. For the period of October 11, 2022, to the present, his PTSD has been rated at 100 percent and other conditions have independently warranted ratings that bring his combined rating to 70 percent.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation for the entire appeal period prior to January 29, 2010. The Board granted a TDIU on an extra-schedular basis.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for right and left ankle disorders due to inadequate medical opinions. The case is now pending further development.

The appeal for service connection of a right ankle disability is remanded. The Board needs more medical opinions to determine the cause and nature of the disability.

The veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus and dry eye syndrome were granted. Other claims, including those for appendectomy scars, PTSD, and an eating disorder, were denied or remanded.

The veteran's service-connected scars of the right foot and ankle are granted a 10 percent increased evaluation from September 8, 2019.

The Board denied service connection for multiple conditions but remanded the claim for psychiatric disability, including PTSD, anxiety, and depression.

Service connection for left and right ankle disabilities was denied. Entitlement to service connection for right and left foot pes planus was remanded.

The veteran's appeal for earlier effective dates was dismissed. Some rating increases were granted, some denied, and others remanded.

The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, finding it was proximately due to or aggravated by the veteran's service-connected PTSD.

The Board denied service connection for the veteran's left knee injury, right knee disorder, and right ankle disorder. The left knee injury was found to predate service and not be aggravated during service. There were no diagnoses for the right knee and ankle disorders.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for peptic ulcer disease, left leg disability, hypercholesterolemia, and hyperplastic colon polyp were dismissed. Claims for right ankle disability, seizure disorder, emphysema, bunion, GERD, and alcoholism were granted but remanded for further review. The claim for abnormal liver function was denied.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) as secondary to his service-connected disabilities is granted. The Board found that the Veteran's obesity acted as an intermediate step between his service-connected disabilities and his OSA.

The Board remanded the claim for service connection of a left ankle sprain to correct an error in assisting the veteran. The VA will reconsider the claim with new evidence.