Ankle decisions — 2025

The Veteran withdrew his appeal for the claims of entitlement to service connection for migraine, a right ankle condition, a left ankle condition, low back strain, and neck strain.

The Board denied service connection for right shoulder strain and acute ankle sprain, resolved right due to a lack of evidence linking the conditions to the Veteran's active duty service.

The Board denied a disability rating in excess of 20 percent for the Veteran's left ankle disability, to include DJD of the left ankle.

The Board denied service connection for migraine headaches and remanded the claim for further development regarding the left ankle condition.

The Board granted initial disability ratings of 20 percent for left ankle disability, 30 percent for chronic maxillary and frontal sinusitis, and 10 percent for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

The Board granted readjudication of the claims for service connection for tinnitus, lumbar spine disability, right and left knee disabilities, and right and left ankle disabilities. The claim for a rating in excess of 70 percent for the Veteran's service-connected acquired psychiatric disability was denied.

The Board denied service connection for right ankle arthritis, a back disorder (claimed as strain and arthritis), and an acquired psychiatric disorder (claimed as anxiety) based on the evidence not supporting a link to service.

The Board denied service connection for right ankle, posttraumatic residual pain and denied increased ratings for bilateral plantar fasciitis with pes planus and lumbar spine pain with degenerative arthritis. The thoracic spine pain claim was remanded.

The Board granted service connection for right hip osteoarthritis and denied increased ratings for various joint conditions, as well as additional special monthly compensation.

The Veteran's service connection claims for left ankle lateral collateral ligament sprain and sinusitis were granted, along with initial ratings assigned. The claim for an increased rating for OSA was denied.

The Board granted an effective date prior to June 17, 2018, for the grant of service connection for cervicogenic headaches and a rating of 60 percent for pulmonary embolism. Other claims were either denied or remanded.

The appeal for service connection for a bilateral foot and ankle condition was dismissed due to an impermissible concurrent election of the review option.

The Board denied service connection for multiple conditions, including left and right knee degenerative arthritis and instability, left and right shoulder strain, chronic bronchitis, right ankle ligament strain, degenerative arthritis and mild scoliosis, tremors of the hands, and chronic fatigue syndrome.

The Board denied a compensable rating for sinusitis and remanded several claims related to back, radiculopathy, ankle, wrist conditions, and obstructive sleep apnea.

The Board granted service connection for erectile dysfunction and special monthly compensation based on loss of use of a creative organ, while remanding the claims for obstructive sleep apnea, lumbar spine disorder, left ankle disorder, and diabetes mellitus type 2.

The Board granted service connection for major depressive disorder, with anxious distress, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, left ankle traumatic arthritis, right ankle traumatic arthritis, left knee chondromalacia, right knee chondromalacia, and left foot pes cavus, resolving reasonable doubt in the Veteran's favor.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for right knee and right ankle disabilities, as there was no persuasive evidence of record indicating that he has had these conditions during or approximate to the pendency of his claim.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for lumbar spine, cervical spine, right ankle, and left ankle disorders due to inadequate medical opinions.

The Veteran is granted special monthly compensation (SMC) based on the need for regular aid and attendance due to her service-connected disabilities.

The Board denied service connection for various degenerative arthritis and impingement syndrome conditions of the Veteran's left foot, right foot, left hand, right hand, left knee, right knee, right ankle, left shoulder, and right shoulder, as there was no evidence that these conditions were caused by or incurred in service or secondary to his service-connected disabilities.