Ankle decisions — 2015

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to the AOJ for further development, including obtaining additional VA and private medical records, arranging for a VA examination of his right ankle, and considering whether staged rating is appropriate.

The Board has decided to remand the case for additional development, including a new VA examination of the Veteran's left ankle degenerative arthritis.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including VA examinations to determine the nature and severity of his service-connected bilateral knee disabilities, hip and ankle disorders, as well as an adjustment disorder with depressed mood.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to insufficient evidence regarding the service connection of his bilateral hip and ankle disabilities. The case will be returned for further development.

The Veteran's claims for increased evaluations of his right hip, ankle, and foot disabilities were denied. The conditions are rated as follows: Right Hip Strain (Sprain) is currently evaluated at 10% disabling; Right Ankle Degenerative Arthritis is currently evaluated at 20%; and Right Foot Degenerative Arthritis with Hallux Valgus is currently evaluated at noncompensable.

The Board has denied the appellant's claims for service connection for residuals of right and left ankle injuries, tinnitus, right knee disability, left knee disability, and lower back disability. The appeals are pending.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, Parkinson's disease, tinnitus, and diabetes, are sufficiently severe to preclude him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral knee and ankle disorders, finding no evidence of a chronic disability in service or within one year of separation. The Board also found that there was insufficient credible evidence to link any current disabilities to service.

The Veteran's claims for increased evaluations of his right knee, hip, and ankle disabilities have been denied. The claim for an increased evaluation for bilateral hearing loss disability is also denied.

The Veteran's left ankle degenerative joint disease is caused by his service-connected right ankle and left knee disabilities, and the Board grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have been shown to be of such severity as to preclude substantially gainful employment, and the Board has granted a TDIU based on this finding.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's residuals of right tibia stress fracture, bilateral hip bursitis and arthritis, bilateral knee conditions (including meniscus pathology, medial collateral ligament laxity, and traumatic arthritis), and bilateral ankle arthritis as secondary to his service-connected intermittent compartment syndrome of the right leg.,The appeal regarding a foot condition is not addressed in this decision.

The Veteran's appeal involves claims for service connection and increased ratings related to various joint disabilities, including arthritis and gout. The case is being remanded for additional development and medical opinions.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral ankle disability, left knee disability, and right knee disability are related to service. Service connection is granted for these conditions.

The Veteran's lymphedema with cellulitis of the lower extremities is found to be incurred in service, while his right ankle fracture residuals are denied. The Veteran remains entitled to a 30% evaluation for depressive disorder.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeals for all remaining issues, including those related to service connection and rating determinations.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to an inadequate VA examination and requests that an addendum be provided.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right ankle arthritis is not related to his military service and therefore denied his claim for service connection.

The Veteran's combined disability rating is 80 percent, which meets the percentage requirements for a TDIU. However, his service-connected disabilities do not preclude him from securing and following all substantially gainful employment consistent with his education and occupational experience.

The Board has determined that additional development is necessary to properly adjudicate the issues on appeal, including obtaining service treatment records and updated VA treatment records. The Veteran's claims for hearing loss disability, tinnitus, and bilateral ankle and foot conditions are being remanded.