Ankle decisions — 2026

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for heart condition, right ankle, right knee, and back (lower) due to inconsistencies in service dates and incomplete medical opinions.

The Board has restored service connection for right ankle Achilles tendonitis and granted service connection for left ankle sprain, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are related to his active duty service.

The Board has determined that there are duty to assist errors in the claims for service connection for left ankle, right ankle, bilateral feet, low back, left knee, and right knee disabilities. The claims must be remanded to correct these errors.

The Board has granted service connection for right ankle, right hip, left ankle, and left knee disabilities. Service connection for erectile dysfunction is denied as the Veteran's disability does not result in symptomatology that is not contemplated by the rating criteria. The claim for urinary frequency was denied.

The Board denied service connection for various ankle, hip, wrist, elbow, and shoulder conditions as there was no evidence of a current disability or in-service injury that caused the claimed conditions.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals for right and left ankle disabilities, resulting in the dismissal of these issues.

The appeals for service connection for bilateral pes planus and right ankle condition have been dismissed due to the Veteran's death.

The appeal concerning entitlement to service connection for right ear hearing loss is dismissed as the Veteran's claim has already been granted.,The appeal concerning entitlement to service connection for left ankle sprain is dismissed as the Veteran was awarded service connection based on a non-liberalizing law and the issue of an effective date is not on appeal.

The Board denied service connection for right and left ankle lateral collateral ligament sprain disabilities, finding no evidence of in-service injury or disease related to the current conditions.

The Board has granted a 50 percent rating for the Veteran's service-connected right and left ankle disabilities, effective from February 14, 2020. The claims of entitlement to increased ratings for his right and left knee disabilities, as well as his PTSD claim, have been dismissed due to withdrawal by the Veteran.

The Veteran's cervical spine disability is granted as service connected.,The Veteran's radiculopathy of the right upper extremity, secondary to a cervical spine disability, is also granted as service connected.,The Veteran's right wrist disability and left knee disabilities are remanded for further development.,The Veteran's right ankle disability is remanded for further development.,The Veteran's vitamin D deficiency is remanded for further development.

The Veteran's eligibility for enrollment in the VA Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers (PCAFC) is remanded due to a lack of clinical evidence supporting his need for personal care services, supervision or instruction. The Board finds that the medical opinion upon which the denial was based is legally inadequate and requires further review.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including a psychiatric condition and various musculoskeletal issues, have rendered him unable to secure or maintain substantially gainful employment during the appeal period.

The appeal concerning the disability evaluation for the Veteran's service-connected residuals of a neck strain is dismissed. The Veteran's claim for TDIU was denied as he does not meet the criteria under either the schedular or extraschedular standards.

The Board has granted service connection for right ankle tendonitis with degenerative arthritis and remanded the issue of service connection for cervical spine stenosis with disc protrusion.

The Veteran's service-connected adjustment disorder with anxiety and depressed mood, along with other service-connected disabilities, has rendered him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment. Effective January 28, 2020, the Veteran is granted a TDIU based on these conditions. Additionally, effective January 28, 2020, he is also granted SMC at the housebound rate due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's service-connected conditions rendered him unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation, leading to the grant of TDIU effective May 25, 2019.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to duty-to-assist errors, including obtaining in-patient treatment records and medical opinions regarding the nature and etiology of the Veteran's claimed conditions.

The Board has granted the Veteran's petitions to readjudicate his claims for service connection for bilateral pes planus, left hip disability, right hip disability, left ankle disability, and right ankle disability. The issues of service connection for back disability are also remanded due to their inextricably intertwined nature with the other issues.

The Board has denied service connection for a right hip condition and a right ankle condition, but has remanded the issue of service connection for right lower extremity peripheral neuropathy of the sciatic nerve due to a duty to assist error.