Ankle Board decisions

The Board has granted service connection for left, right ankle disabilities and bilateral knee disabilities. The Veteran's current ankle and knee conditions are found to have started in or are otherwise caused by his active service.,Service connection was denied for a bilateral hearing loss disability.

The Veteran's TDIU claim was denied because the evidence did not show that his service-connected PTSD rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings for his right leg and right ankle disabilities, as well as a compensable rating for his left knee scar, were denied. The Board found that the Veteran failed to cooperate with scheduled VA examinations without providing good cause.

The Board has granted service connection for a left ankle disability and denied service connection for a right ankle disorder, including as secondary to the service-connected left ankle disability. The decision is based on evidence showing current functional impairing left ankle pain and no in-service or post-service right ankle injury.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) due to his service-connected disabilities, which together preclude him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board has determined that the VA examination provided in connection with this appeal was inadequate for rating purposes and therefore remands the case for a new examination to assess the severity of the Veteran's bilateral ankle disabilities.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's death was caused by fentanyl intoxication, which was a result of his service-connected left ankle disability. The Board found that the Veteran's addiction to pain medication contributed substantially and materially to his death, and he did not engage in willful misconduct.

The Veteran's request to withdraw the right wrist fracture claim has been granted, resulting in its dismissal.,The Veteran's request to withdraw the hemorrhoids claim has been granted, resulting in its dismissal.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for left ankle strain, right ankle strain, and right knee retropatellar pain syndrome were denied as there is no evidence of entitlement prior to the date of receipt of his claim on February 8, 2008.

The Veteran's service-connected right foot and left foot disabilities were not rated higher than the initial 10 percent assigned.,Initial noncompensable ratings for service-connected left foot and right ankle residual blister scars were denied.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings and service connection have been dismissed due to concurrent elections of review options.

The Veteran's IBS has been granted a 30 percent initial disability rating. Service connection was denied for other claimed conditions.

The Board has decided to remand the claim of service connection for right ankle sprain due to a duty to assist error, and will consider evidence submitted after the February 2025 rating decision on appeal.

The Board has remanded the cases for additional examinations and opinions regarding service connection for eye, bilateral knee, and bilateral ankle conditions due to pre-duty-to-assist errors.

The Veteran's service connection for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is granted. The claims for bilateral plantar fasciitis, left knee disorder, right knee disorder, right hip disorder, and right ankle disorder are remanded.

The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as service connected from July 8, 2019. The ankle claims are remanded for further evaluation.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection on multiple conditions have been withdrawn. The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for a back disability, right knee disability, and left knee disability.

The Board denied the Veteran's requests for earlier effective dates for service connection and increased ratings, finding no evidence of a factually ascertainable increase in disability within one year prior to his intent to file claims.

The Board has granted service connection for a right knee strain that is secondary to the Veteran's service-connected right ankle disability, finding that the current right knee disability was caused by the service-connected right ankle disability.

The Veteran's back issue, bilateral ankles, bilateral shoulders, and neck issue are granted service connection. Tinnitus is also granted service connection.,Hypertension earlier effective date is dismissed as it was implemented by the AOJ based on a Board decision.