Ankle decisions — 2016

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and TDIU are being remanded due to the need for additional examinations, as well as the potential impact on his entitlement to TDIU.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for lumbosacral strain, right ankle disability, and personality disorder were denied by the RO in April 2010. The effective date of his awards was January 13, 2012.,The Veteran's claim for a right ankle disability has been reopened due to new evidence submitted since the April 2010 denial.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to incomplete records from VA facilities.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining new VA examinations and updating treatment records. The Veteran's appeals regarding higher initial ratings for his service-connected disabilities and entitlement to TDIU are inextricably intertwined.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection were denied. The initial rating for diabetes was not granted, chronic otitis externa did not warrant a compensable rating, the lumbar spine disability received an increased rating but remained at 20 percent, cervical spine disorder, bilateral hip disorder, knee disorder, ankle disorder, kidney disorder (hypertension), heart disorder (hypertension), erectile dysfunction, and peripheral neuropathy of both upper and lower extremities were not granted service connection. The Veteran's diabetes was rated as 20 percent disabling.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development to address the current severity of his service-connected postoperative residuals of a stress fracture of the right ankle and whether he is entitled to extraschedular consideration.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right and left ankle disabilities are related to his active service.,Service connection is granted for a right ankle disability, specifically posterior tibialis tendinitis, Achilles tendonitis, meniscoid lesion, and lateral collateral ligament sprain.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for further development due to inadequacies in the adjudication, including addressing whether his symptoms are manifestations of a medically unexplained chronic multisymptom illness and obtaining clarifying opinions regarding service connection.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional development and a new hearing. The issues of increased rating for a fractured right ankle and TDIU are still pending.

The Board has remanded the appeal for further development due to inadequate VA examination reports and issues are inextricably intertwined.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's appeal requires additional development and remand, including for a VA examination to determine if his depression is related to service or secondary to his service-connected disabilities. The claims for increased ratings of left ankle DJD and lumbar DDD also require further development.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional medical evidence and development of his claims. The issues include increased ratings for bilateral hearing loss, knee degenerative joint disease with right knee anterior cruciate ligament tear status post surgery and left knee medial meniscus tear status post surgery, right ankle bone cyst status post excision and bone grafting, and left Achilles tendonitis.

The Board found no evidence of chronic right or left ankle disorders during service and denied the Veteran's claims for service connection.

The Board denied claims for service connection for allergic rhinitis, bilateral foot disability, bilateral ankle disability, and skin disability of the hands and forearms. The Veteran's conditions were not found to be related to his military service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development due to the submission of new evidence after a Supplemental Statement of the Case (SSOC) was issued in September 2015.

The Veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for diabetes mellitus, type II (DM II) was denied because the evidence did not establish that he had service in Vietnam and therefore could not be presumed exposed to Agent Orange. The Board also found that there was no causal relationship between his current DM II and active duty service.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for further development to determine the current severity of his service-connected PTSD, bilateral ankle disabilities, and TDIU.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's chronic joint pain of shoulders, wrists and ankles is a qualifying chronic disability under 38 C.F.R. § 3.317(a)(2), as it can be attributed to undiagnosed illness or medically unexplained multisymptom illness.

The Board has determined that a new medical opinion is needed to address the Veteran's left foot/ankle disability, including its relationship to his service and any other conditions. The RO must also attempt to obtain authorization from the Veteran for VA to obtain relevant treatment records.

The Veteran was previously denied a TDIU prior to September 5, 2012. The Board found that the service-connected disabilities did not prevent him from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation during this period.,Beginning September 5, 2012, the Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation, and the Board granted a TDIU at this time.