Ankle decisions — 2014

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to allow for additional development, including obtaining updated VA treatment records and providing the Veteran with examinations to assess his service-connected right ankle disability, scars, and major depressive disorder.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to schedule him for a Board video-conference hearing. He requested hearings on all issues listed in his appeals, including service connection claims.

The Board found that the Veteran did not timely file a substantive appeal regarding the January 2003 rating decision, which addressed his service-connected conditions and entitlement issues. As a result, the RO's decisions were deemed final.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current right ankle disability was incurred during service and is related to her period of service, thus granting her claim for service connection.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical evidence on file for VA to make a decision on the claims. The appellant should be afforded examinations to determine the nature and etiology of his claimed disabilities.

The Veteran's claims for increased evaluations of his left ankle, shoulder, knee, and hip disabilities have been denied. The most recent VA examination found that the Veteran had full range of motion in all affected joints.

The Veteran's headaches are related to his service-connected major depressive disorder with chronic anxiety features. The claims for sinusitis, unexplained weight gain and body inflammation, exhaustion, excessive sweating, skin disability, right foot and ankle disability, and bilateral knee disability were denied as there is no current diagnosis of these conditions.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling a VA examination. The issues on appeal include increased ratings for various service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection for left ankle and lumbar spine conditions have been withdrawn. The remaining claims of entitlement to service connection for recurrent tinnitus and a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss are being remanded for further development.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current left ankle condition is not related to service and therefore denied his claim for service connection.

The Veteran's DDD of the lumbar spine and bilateral knee disability are being considered as secondary to his service-connected right ankle instability. The examiner will determine if these conditions have worsened due to the right ankle disorder.,The Veteran's residuals from a head injury are being evaluated, but no specific service connection theory is provided.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain additional medical records, schedule a VA examination, and readjudicate the TDIU claim. The issues of service connection for depression and increased evaluations for right ankle and bilateral knee disabilities are also being addressed.

The Veteran's initial ratings for his right and left ankle disabilities, as well as his right and left knee disabilities, were granted at 20 percent each. The appeal is not about service connection but rather the evaluation of these conditions.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development of his claims, including obtaining updated treatment records and scheduling him for VA examinations to assess the nature and etiology of his claimed conditions.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of kidney stones, and therefore, service connection for this condition is denied.

The Board found that the Veteran did not sustain an in-service injury to his left ankle and there is no evidence of a chronic disease manifesting within one year after service separation. The current diagnosis of arthritis of the left ankle was not shown to be related to service.

The Veteran's service-connected chronic lumbar strain is not found to have caused or aggravated any of his claimed bilateral hip, knee, ankle, or foot disabilities.

The Veteran's appeal has been dismissed for the issues of entitlement to service connection for a bilateral ankle disorder and vertigo and cephalgia due to withdrawal by the Veteran.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, residuals of a right ankle injury, blood clots of the right leg, migraines, hemoptysis (blood in sputum), and chondroma of the left ring finger. The decision was based on the lack of evidence linking these conditions to service or service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's left lower extremity disability, including a posterior process talus fracture of the heel with associated tendinitis and degenerative joint disease, resulted in a severe foot disability warranting a 30 percent rating prior to February 13, 2009. From that date until present, he has had a moderate muscle group XI (left flexor hallucis longus, flexor digitorum longus, and peroneal tendinitis) disability, which warrants a separate 10 percent rating.