Ankle decisions — 2016

The Board has determined that the Veteran's left ankle strain warrants a 10 percent rating, effective from the date of the decision.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right ankle and right foot conditions are not related to his military service, and thus denied both claims.

The Board found no evidence of a right ankle or right shoulder disability being incurred in service, present within one year of separation from active duty, or continuous since service. Therefore, the Veteran's claims for service connection were denied.

The Board has remanded the case for additional medical inquiry into the Veteran's claims of service connection for an ankle disorder and a sinus disorder.

The Board is remanding the claims of service connection for ED, a left wrist condition, a left ankle condition, right ear hearing loss, tinnitus, and a psychiatric condition (including posttraumatic stress disorder and depression) due to their interrelated nature. The claim of service connection for hypertension is also being remanded as it may be related to the Veteran's service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional VA examinations and the retrieval of relevant medical records.

The Veteran's claims for increased disability ratings were denied as his service-connected conditions did not meet the criteria for higher evaluations under applicable rating criteria.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional development of her service treatment records, specifically from the Oakland Naval Regional Medical Center and Tripler Army Hospital. The AOJ will conduct a thorough search for these records and provide a supplemental statement of the case if necessary.

The Board found that the Veteran's claimed back, hip, knee, and ankle disabilities did not have onset during active service or within one year of service discharge. The evidence does not support a finding of direct service connection for these conditions.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral ankle disabilities, right knee disability, and lumbar spine disability did not have their onset in service or are otherwise related to service. The claims for these conditions are therefore denied.

The Board found that the Veteran's right ankle, back, headaches, and tinnitus disabilities were not incurred or aggravated by service. The right hip disability was also denied as there is no evidence of ankylosis or malunion.

The Board has granted a rating of 20 percent for the Veteran's left ankle disability from August 1, 2010. The Veteran is also awarded a separate 10 percent rating for ankylosis of the subastragalor or tarsal joint in good weight-bearing position. No effective date was provided as this pertains to a change in rating.

The Veteran's right ankle disorder claim is being remanded due to inadequate medical opinions. The Board will seek an addendum opinion from a qualified examiner to determine if the current right ankle disorder is at least as likely as not caused by or aggravated by her service-connected left and/or right knee disabilities.

The Veteran's left ankle synovitis has not been shown to be productive of a marked disability, and the Board finds that the current 10 percent rating adequately reflects his symptoms.

The Board has denied all the Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for service connection, finding that May 10, 2010 is the correct date of receipt of his initial claim.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability, tinnitus, and obstructive sleep apnea. The left shoulder disability was rated at 20 percent, while the right ankle disability was also rated at 20 percent.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including obtaining VA treatment records and clarifying certain findings from the October 2015 VA examination report.

The Veteran's left ankle disability, currently rated as 10 percent disabling for moderate limitation of motion, does not meet the criteria for a higher rating. The Board finds that the current 10 percent rating adequately reflects the severity of his service-connected left ankle sprain.

The Board has granted service connection for depressive disorder NOS. The remaining claims are remanded for additional development.

The Board found no evidence of a current left ankle disorder related to service and denied the claim for service connection.