Ankle Board decisions

The Board granted an effective date of May 21, 2008, for the grant of total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) due to continuous pursuit of increased rating claims and the Veteran's service-connected disabilities.

The Board granted service connection for a lower back disability, left knee strain, bilateral ankle strain, right lower extremity sciatica, and PTSD based on military sexual trauma.

The Veteran has withdrawn the entire appeal, and all claims have been dismissed.

The Board remands the claims for further development, including obtaining additional medical opinions and records.

The Board dismissed the claims for service connection for headaches, asthma rating reduction, and low back condition. The claims for bilateral flat foot and fallen arches, right ankle, left ankle, and bilateral hearing loss were denied. However, the 70 percent rating for PTSD was restored.

The Board granted readjudication of the claims for entitlement to earlier effective dates for the grants of service connection for a right ankle disability, right knee disability, left ankle disability, left knee disability, and lumbosacral disability.

The proposed severance of service connection for various conditions was dismissed as the Veteran's appeal was invalid due to the nature of the May 2024 rating decision.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal for all claims, including those for higher ratings and service connection.

The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including anxiety, depression, back pain, erectile dysfunction, and others, as there was no evidence of current diagnoses or symptoms reasonably associated with the disorders claimed.

The Board granted service connection for bilateral tinnitus and denied service connection for various other conditions, including allergies/rhinitis, right hip joint pain inflammation - range of motion condition, left lower extremity radiates / chronic foot peripheral neuropathy, right lower extremity radiates / chronic foot peripheral neuropathy, bilateral sensorineural hearing loss, migraine / tension headaches, traumatic brain injury (TBI), sinusitis, sleep apnea, and right foot inversion. The Board remanded several claims for further development.

The Veteran is granted a total disability rating based on unemployability (TDIU) from November 5, 2008, to October 18, 2011, from January 1, 2012, to October 23, 2012, from February 1, 2013, to February 23, 2014, and from April 1, 2015, to March 10, 2024.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD alone is found to prevent him from obtaining and maintaining substantially gainful employment, and he is granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) and special monthly compensation (SMC) based on the statutory housebound criteria.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for left knee, right ankle, and left ankle degenerative arthritis to obtain further medical opinions regarding whether these conditions pre-existed service and, if not, whether they are related to service or aggravated by a service-connected condition.

The veteran withdrew the appeals for service connection for various conditions, including an acquired psychiatric disorder, bilateral hearing loss, and multiple musculoskeletal disorders.

The Board granted service connection for a right ankle disorder, diagnosed as right ankle chronic strain, finding it to be related to the Veteran's active duty service.

The claims for an earlier effective date of service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability, service connection for tinnitus, and service connection for left ankle disability were dismissed as the Veteran withdrew them prior to the Board's decision.

The Board granted service connection for a right leg disorder, diagnosed as right knee medial meniscus tear and osteoarthritis, and chronic right ankle pain and stiffness.

The Board remands the claim for a left lower leg disability, to include a left ankle disability, for further development and an examination.

The Board denied service connection for right hip pain, left hip pain, cervical strain, right ankle strain, and pseudofolliculitis barbae. The 70 percent rating for depressive disorder was also denied.

The Board remands the issues of entitlement to service connection for right and left ankle strains due to a duty to assist error in the prior VA examination.