Ankle decisions — 2025

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a left wrist disability, as there is no evidence of a current disability. The claims for service connection for bilateral foot and right ankle disabilities are remanded for further development.

The Board denied service connection for multiple conditions, including bilateral hearing loss, chronic kidney disease, cell bladder carcinoma, hypertension, and various musculoskeletal issues, as the evidence did not support a finding that any of these conditions were incurred or aggravated during active duty for training.

The Board denied service connection for right ear hearing loss disability, and remanded several other issues including ratings for ankle strains, lumbar spine, lower extremity radiculopathy, knee disabilities, chronic headaches, and an acquired psychiatric disorder.

The Board granted an effective date of July 30, 2022 for the award of a 50 percent rating for generalized anxiety disorder and major depressive disorder (psychiatric disorder) but denied earlier effective dates for other conditions.

The Board granted service connection for residuals of a right ankle fracture, left knee degenerative arthritis, and degenerative spondylosis of the lumbar spine.

The Board denied a disability rating in excess of 20 percent for lumbosacral strain with degenerative disc disease and dismissed the appeal for service connection for a right ankle condition.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected left and right ankle sprains, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating under the applicable criteria.

The Board granted service connection for tension headaches and right ankle sprain, but denied service connection for vascular issues/blood clots, hearing loss, tinnitus, and depressive disorder. The effective date for gout was denied.

The Board denied service connection for a bilateral knee disability, a bilateral ankle disability, and a right shoulder disability as the evidence did not support that these conditions began during active service or are otherwise related to an in-service injury or disease.

The appeal was denied for an extended temporary total rating, but the 30 percent rating for right ankle degenerative arthritis was restored. The Board remanded claims for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea and diabetes mellitus II as secondary to a service-connected condition.

The Board granted a 70 percent rating for PTSD and TDIU, while denying service connection for chronic pain syndrome, chronic fatigue syndrome, urinary tract disorder, hypertension, erectile dysfunction, and remanding claims for right foot, left foot, right ankle, and left ankle disabilities.

The Board granted service connection for upper back condition (also claimed as a cervical and neck condition), mid back condition, headaches, and right ankle condition based on the evidence of record.

The Board granted a 50 percent disability rating for tension headaches but denied an increased rating greater than 10 percent for scars, lower left extremity, left ankle and left heel. The claim for a disability rating greater than 10 percent for GERD was remanded.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for heart disease, right ankle sprain, right foot disability, and left foot disability to obtain a VA examination and opinion in accordance with the Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act of 2022 (PACT Act) and an addendum opinion addressing aggravation by the Veteran's service-connected right knee disability.

The Board denied service connection for right ankle, left ankle, right foot, and left foot disabilities as the evidence did not establish a link to an in-service injury or disease.

The appeal was dismissed due to the Veteran's death during the pendency of the appeal.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for various disabilities due to duty-to-assist errors that occurred prior to the June 2023 rating decision.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for an earlier effective date for service connection and TDIU, as well as a claim for SMC.

The Board granted service connection for left ankle strain and left knee strain, finding that the conditions are related to injuries incurred during military service.

The Board denied service connection for a right ankle disability, finding no evidence of the condition during active duty or a link to service. The claims for hypertension, sleep apnea, and right groin strain were remanded due to a need for additional medical opinions.