Ankle decisions — 2025

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for right and left ankle synovitis and tenosynovitis, an autoimmune disorder, and diabetes mellitus due to lack of new and relevant evidence or a current diagnosis.

The Board granted service connection for a cervical strain, finding it related to the Veteran's service. The claims for lumbosacral and left ankle strains were remanded for further development.

The Board granted service connection for left and right long finger strains, a right ankle strain, and GERD with hiatal hernia. The appeal seeking increased ratings for chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, allergic rhinitis, and scars was dismissed due to severance of service connection.

The Board denied earlier effective dates for service connection and increased rating, finding that the earliest possible date of January 24, 2023, is legally required.

The Board granted service connection for cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spine disabilities, bilateral pes planus and plantar fasciitis, tinnitus, chronic sinusitis, allergic rhinitis, digestive disabilities including irritable bowel syndrome with abdominal pain and nausea, pelvic organ disabilities, iron deficiency anemia, and genital herpes. Service connection was denied for acne, tendonitis, fibromyalgia, painful joints, left shin splints, right shin splints, left ankle condition, right ankle condition, left carpal tunnel syndrome, right carpal tunnel syndrome, respiratory infection, GERD, PTSD, anxiety condition, manic-depressive reaction, and psychiatric disorder other than unspecified depressive disorder with symptoms of suicidal ideation. An initial 50% rating was granted for the service-connected unspecified depressive disorder.

The Board remands the claim for service connection for a right ankle disability to correct duty to assist errors, including verifying the exact dates and nature of the Veteran's service and obtaining complete service treatment records.

The Board remands the claim for service connection for a left ankle disability to obtain an addendum medical opinion regarding the nature of the Veteran's claimed left ankle disability and whether it resulted in functional loss during the appeal period.

The appeal for service connection for a right ankle disability was dismissed due to the untimely filing of the Board Appeal request.

The Board granted service connection for insomnia disorder but denied service connection for right ankle strain, right knee strain, and bilateral hearing loss.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for an increased rating for posttraumatic arthritis, right ankle and service connection for gout, right ankle. The decision also remanded claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Board denied increased ratings for the Veteran's bilateral ankle and knee conditions, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on moderate limitation of motion or other criteria.

The Board remands the claim for special monthly compensation based on the need for aid and attendance due to conflicting information regarding the Veteran's ability to perform daily activities.

The Board granted readjudication of a service connection claim for a low back disability and remanded claims for left knee osteoarthritis, right knee condition, right shoulder pain, left ankle condition, and right ankle condition.

The Board granted an earlier effective date of November 4, 2021, for the assignment of service connection for a left ankle scar and February 22, 2022, for the assignment of a 10 percent rating for a left ankle scar. However, it denied an earlier effective date prior to December 6, 2022, for the assignment of a 20 percent rating for a left ankle disability.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus was granted, while other claims were denied or remanded.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for various disabilities and conditions, including back disability, left lower extremity radiculopathy, right ankle disability, left ankle disability, left knee disability, left lower extremity scar associated with the left ankle disability, erectile dysfunction, and special monthly compensation (SMC) based on loss of use of a creative organ.

The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including degenerative left and right hands and fingers, headaches, a left ankle condition, left foot sprain, a degenerative neck condition, and a left hip condition as secondary to a service-connected disability. The lower back condition, insomnia, and left arm numbness were remanded.

The Board remands the matters for further development, including scheduling VA examinations to assess the current severity of the Veteran's left foot and ankle disabilities.

The appeal concerning the issues of entitlement to service connection for various disabilities is dismissed due to the Veteran's death during the pendency of the appeal.

The Board dismissed the claims for service connection for degenerative arthritis of the thoracolumbar spine, left ankle strain, left wrist disorder, right ankle strain, right hip strain, and erectile dysfunction associated with right knee derangement due to an improper concurrent election.