Ankle decisions — 2018

The Board has granted service connection for a bilateral ankle condition to include degenerative joint disease of the ankle, but dismissed the claim for service connection for lupus as the Veteran withdrew his appeal.

The Veteran is prevented from securing and following substantially gainful employment as a result of his service-connected disabilities, specifically PTSD and right ankle disability.

The Board has decided to remand the case for a new VA examination and additional development of the record, including obtaining updated VA treatment records.

The Board found that the Veteran's low back, left hip, and left ankle disabilities are not service-connected as secondary to his right knee disability. The VA examiners provided opinions indicating these conditions were more likely caused by non-service connected factors such as leg length discrepancy from a previous femur fracture.

The Board has determined that there is no current left ankle disability and therefore denied the Veteran's claim for service connection.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining a VA examination and medical opinion to assess the Veteran's employability due to his service-connected disabilities. The TDIU claim is currently before the Board.

The Board has found that there is no current diagnosis of a multiple joint disorder affecting the right wrist and bilateral ankles. The Veteran's right knee disability, however, is currently rated as 20 percent disabling.

The Board has determined that there is at least a 50% chance (equipoise) that the Veteran's current right ankle disability is related to an in-service injury, and thus service connection for this condition is granted.

The Board has decided to remand the case for additional development, including obtaining a VA examination and opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's left ankle injury residuals.

The Veteran's left ankle disability was rated at 10 percent prior to January 24, 2014.,From January 24, 2014, the Veteran is entitled to a rating of 20 percent for his left ankle disability.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal, thus the case is dismissed.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection of low back disorder, left knee joint disorder, left leg/ankle disorder, and left knee scar as they were not related to his military service.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claims for service connection for right knee strain, right ankle strain, and left ankle strain. The appeal is now resolved in favor of the Veteran.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's left leg radiculopathy, finding that it is secondary to his service-connected lumbar spine disorder.

The Board has granted a 20 percent rating for the Veteran's service-connected right ankle disability, finding that his marked limited motion of the right ankle warrants this increased evaluation.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD, depression, and dysthymic disorder, a bilateral ankle disorder, migraine headaches, right wrist arthritis, and neurological symptoms in the left lower extremity. The Board found insufficient credible supporting evidence to corroborate the claimed in-service stressors of MST or personal assault, and concluded that there was no diagnosis of PTSD based on these stressors. The Veteran's depressive disorder is not service connected.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence and needs further examination and opinion regarding the etiology of the left ankle disability.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining service treatment records and VA examinations to determine the etiology of his claimed disabilities.

The Veteran is seeking service connection for bilateral ankle disabilities, which he claims are related to his military service in Korea. The Board has decided that a VA examination is needed to determine the nature and etiology of these disabilities.

The Board found that the Veteran's right hand/wrist and left ankle disabilities are not related to his active duty service. The claims for service connection were denied.