Ankle decisions — 2013

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for an earlier effective date for a 20 percent disability rating for his service-connected left ankle disorder and did not find that he was entitled to service connection for a left shoulder disorder, bilateral knee disorders, or left arm neuropathy.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development due to the submission of new VA treatment records. The case will be returned to the Board after consideration of these records.

The Board has determined that the Veteran did not sustain a disease or injury of the left ankle or bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome during service and does not currently have such disabilities. As such, the claims for service connection are denied.

The Board has remanded the appeal for service connection for residuals of a bilateral ankle disorder and residuals of a bilateral knee disorder due to incomplete VA treatment records. The Veteran is required to provide updated VA medical records from March 2009 to the present.

The Board finds that the Veteran does not have current disabilities of either knee or right ankle, and thus cannot establish service connection for these conditions.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development, including scheduling a VA examination to evaluate his service-connected left ankle disability and obtaining updated VA treatment records.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining medical records and conducting a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of any diagnosed disabilities.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to fully and fairly consider the merits of the Veteran's claims, including obtaining medical opinions regarding the etiology of his hip and ankle disabilities as well as VA treatment records for all issues on appeal.

The Veteran's claims for increased evaluations of her service-connected right ankle and right hand fifth metacarpal disabilities are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling VA examinations.

The Board has determined that a remand is necessary to obtain additional medical records, including VA and private treatment records. The Veteran's left knee disability and bilateral ankle disorder will also be evaluated in more detail.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain additional medical records, schedule him for a VA examination, and issue supplemental statements of the case regarding effective dates.

The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral knee and right ankle disabilities were not incurred in or aggravated by service, nor are they related to any service-connected disability. The claims for service connection have been denied.

The Board has remanded the case to the RO for additional development, including obtaining SSA disability records and Vocational Rehabilitation file. The TDIU claim is also added.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD and an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD. The claim for a left ankle disability was also denied.

The Board finds that the Veteran does not have a left ankle disorder related to any event in military service and thus denied his claim for service connection.

The Board has granted a separate initial disability rating of 10 percent for each of the Veteran's service-connected bilateral ankle and foot conditions, including degenerative changes, plantar fasciitis, and fracture history. The ratings are based on moderate limitation of motion as per Diagnostic Code 5271.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unable to obtain or maintain substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, asthma and bronchitis, and a left foot and ankle disability were denied. However, the Board found in favor of the Veteran on his claim for a left foot and ankle disability as it is likely related to service. The other claims remain denied.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for additional VA examinations and records, particularly those dated after August 2009. The case will be reviewed again following these actions.

The Board found that the Veteran's current left ankle disability is not related to his military service, as there was no evidence of any treatment for an ankle condition during or after service. The weight of the evidence supports a conclusion that the Veteran's current disability is more likely due to progressive muscle wasting associated with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease and osteoarthritis.