Ankle decisions — 2025

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for right knee condition, left ankle condition, and ear condition with jaw popping due to a lack of evidence supporting the presence of these conditions during or shortly after service.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, pneumonia, and a right ankle condition due to a pre-decision duty to assist error.

The Board granted service connection for left upper extremity radiculopathy, right upper extremity radiculopathy, a left shoulder disability, a right shoulder disability secondary to a service-connected left shoulder condition, and a left ankle disability.

The Board denied increased ratings for radiculopathy in the right and left lower extremities, a compensable rating for a scar from left knee surgery, and earlier effective dates for service connection of various conditions. However, it granted a 30 percent rating for left femoral nerve radiculopathy starting June 16, 2021, and an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for left lower extremity radiculopathy (sciatic nerve) from November 7, 2018.

The Board granted earlier effective dates of July 9, 2002, for service connection for a left ankle disability, right shoulder disability, left shoulder disability, and eczema.

The Board granted service connection for single episode major depressive disorder with anxious distress, somatic symptom disorder, and alcohol use disorder; right ankle arthritis; and bilateral plantar fasciitis and a right foot heel spur. The claims for recurrent hip disabilities, a rating in excess of 20 percent for left knee anterior cruciate ligament and medial collateral ligament repair residuals, and TDIU were remanded.

The Board denied service connection for all claimed conditions as there was no evidence of a current disability, in-service incurrence or aggravation, and no nexus between the current disabilities and military service.

The Board granted service connection for a left elbow condition, a left knee condition, and an increased initial disability evaluation of 20 percent for marked limitation of motion of the left ankle, effective March 4, 2021.

The Board remands the claims for additional development, including obtaining a new VA examination to address the inadequacies of previous examinations and obtain any relevant private treatment records.

The Board remands the claims for service connection due to a failure by the agency of original jurisdiction (AOJ) to provide notice of the Veteran's right to a hearing and to readjudicate the claims after fulfilling this requirement.

The Board granted service connection for tinnitus, heart disability, liver disability, right shoulder disability, left shoulder disability, right hip disability, left hip disability, right ankle disability, left ankle disability, and bilateral pes planus. The appeal seeking service connection for bilateral hearing loss, a right knee disability, and a left knee disability was dismissed.

The Board remands the claims for increased ratings for left sciatic nerve peripheral neuropathy, left and right knee disabilities, and right ankle disability to obtain new examinations that do not consider the ameliorative effects of medications.

The Board granted service connection for bilateral tinnitus, chronic sinusitis, and an acquired psychiatric disorder. The claims for left ankle pain, right ankle pain, pseudofolliculitis barbae, and radiculopathy of the lower extremities were denied.

The Board granted service connection for multiple conditions, including adjustment disorder with anxiety and depressed mood, GERD, contact dermatitis, left ankle gout, degenerative changes of the lumbosacral spine, left knee meniscal tear and gout, left big toe gout, left elbow gout, status post cervical fusion, and sleep apnea, as they are related to active duty training (ACDUTRA).

The Board granted service connection for a back disability, finding that the evidence was at least in equipoise that it began during active service and has continued since. Other issues were remanded for further development.

The Board denied service connection for various disabilities, including allergic rhinitis, sinusitis, respiratory conditions, foot and ankle issues, knee and shoulder problems, low back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, IBS, and sleep disorders.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for lumbosacral strain, right ankle tendonitis, and dermatitis to correct duty-to-assist errors.

The Board granted service connection for right ankle strain and increased disability ratings to 30 percent for right shoulder AC joint osteoarthritis, right knee arthritic changes, left knee meniscal repair, sinusitis, and vertigo.

The Board denied an effective date prior to February 10, 2021, for the grant of service connection for PTSD with alcohol and cannabis use disorders, as well as increased ratings for various disabilities.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection, finding that her stress fractures of the calcaneal bones were no more than moderate in severity and that she did not have a current right shoulder disability. The claims for service connection for angioedema, hives, abdominal hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, heart murmur, migraine headaches, allergic rhinitis, left ankle disability, and prolapsed rectum were remanded for further development.