Ankle decisions — 2025

The Board remands the claims for service connection for a right knee and right ankle disability for further development, including obtaining an addendum medical opinion that addresses the Veteran's July 1995 right knee sprain and any potential relationship between his right knee and right ankle conditions.

The Board remands the issue of entitlement to service connection for a bilateral ankle disability for an addendum VA medical opinion.

The Board denied service connection for a right ankle disorder and a right hip disorder as there was no evidence of current disability or nexus to service.

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

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection, finding that his symptoms did not meet the criteria for higher disability ratings.

The Board granted a 30 percent evaluation for GERD and a 50 percent evaluation for cluster headaches, but denied an increased rating for right foot plantar fasciitis. The Veteran was also granted a 10 percent evaluation for external hemorrhoids effective May 19, 2024.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals for all service connection and rating claims.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for left knee, right ankle, left ankle, and left foot conditions to provide VA examinations.

The Board granted service connection for multiple conditions, including spondylolisthesis or segmental instability (DJD spondylolisthesis L-5 S1), radiculopathy of the sciatic nerve, paralysis of the ulnar nerve, acromioclavicular joint arthritis, left ankle tendonitis, right knee patellofemoral syndrome, left knee patellofemoral syndrome, bilateral feet with plantar fasciitis, fibromyalgia, pituitary macroadenoma, diabetes mellitus type II, and renal failure.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for various disabilities due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error in the AOJ's failure to obtain complete military records and provide VA examinations.

The Board denied service connection for a left ankle injury and remanded claims for an initial compensable disability rating for right ankle fibula fracture and an increased disability rating for the right fibula fracture associated with degenerative arthritis affecting the right knee.

The Board granted service connection for sinusitis and depressive disorder, but denied service connection for chronic fatigue syndrome, right leg shin splints, left leg shin splints, a higher rating for the right knee, and other conditions. The decision was based on the evidence of record.

The veteran withdrew the appeal for all service connection claims, and the Board has no jurisdiction to review these issues.

The appeal for service connection for 14 issues, including hearing loss, tinnitus, neck pain, and others, was dismissed due to a procedural defect in the docketing of the appeal.

The appeal for service connection for cervical spine, bilateral hip, bilateral ankle, gastrointestinal disorder, and hypertension was withdrawn by the appellant. The TDIU rating claim was denied.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have prevented him from engaging in substantially gainful employment since December 13, 2010.

The Board granted service connection for lumbosacral strain with multilevel degenerative disc and facet disease, right leg radiculopathy, left leg radiculopathy, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), and assigned initial ratings of 20 percent for a left ankle strain, 30 percent for chronic sinusitis, and 30 percent for headaches.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for cervical spine, left ankle, right ankle, right foot, and left foot disabilities as secondary to his service-connected disability due to a lack of evidence showing current diagnoses.

The Board granted a 20 percent disability rating for the Veteran's left ankle strain, but remanded the claim for a higher rating for his left knee pain with limited range of motion.

The Board granted an initial 60 percent rating for psoriasis and a 20 percent rating for fibromyalgia, effective March 4, 2022, while denying a higher rating for the left ankle disability.