Ankle decisions — 2018

The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 100% prior to August 3, 2017. The TDIU claim was not granted due to the presence of a non-compensable shrapnel wound to the right ankle.

The Board found that the Veteran's muscle and joint pain, including bilateral hip and ankle degenerative joint disease, were not due to service or any other compensable condition. The separate claim for an ankle disability was also denied.

The Board has granted service connection for right hip disability, hearing loss, and tinnitus with an effective date of December 3, 2009. The Veteran's claims for other disabilities are denied.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's right ankle disability is related to his service and remanded for additional development.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for additional examinations and development of his claims, including for a left ankle disorder.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for both a left foot disorder and a left ankle disorder, finding that there was no evidence linking these conditions to service.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection for prostate condition, right ankle disability, and acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD) have been withdrawn. The Board has determined that the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder is due to his own willful misconduct.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to incomplete records and the need for additional examinations.

The Veteran's claim for higher ratings and earlier effective dates for his service-connected tinnitus was denied as there is no legal basis for a schedular evaluation in excess of 10 percent or an effective date prior to August 21, 2013. The Veteran does not have other disabilities that would warrant separate evaluations.

The Veteran's service-connected right ankle arthritis and arthrodesis with internal fixation qualify for SMC since October 1, 2010, due to being housebound.,However, the extension of his 100% evaluation past October 1, 2010, was denied as it did not meet the criteria for a need for convalescence following surgery.

The Board has determined that the Veteran did not incur a right ankle fracture or other right ankle injury in service, and thus does not have current residuals of an in-service right ankle fracture. As such, the claim for service connection is denied.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's left ankle disability is presumed to be related to his active service, and thus grants entitlement to service connection.

The Board has denied all service connection claims as the evidence does not establish a nexus between the Veteran's current conditions and his military service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right knee, left knee, and right ankle disabilities do not warrant ratings greater than 10 percent under the applicable rating criteria.

The Board has remanded the claims for a low back disability, bilateral hip disability, bilateral ankle disability, bilateral foot disability, and gout and arthritis of multiple joints to obtain additional VA examinations and opinions. The claims are inextricably intertwined with the referred petition to reopen the claim for service connection for a bilateral knee disability.

The Veteran's abdominal scar and residuals from an accidental stab wound are rated as noncompensable, but the Veteran is not entitled to service connection for his pancreatitis, right knee condition, left knee condition, broken right ankle, broken right leg, or cervical arthritis.,There is no evidence of a current disability related to service-connected conditions that would support secondary service connection for any of these issues.

The Veteran's chronic residuals of hepatitis C have been granted service connection as a result of his in-service combat exposure to blood and enemy contact.,Service connection for bilateral hearing loss has been established based on the Veteran's in-service exposure to acoustic trauma during combat, resulting from artillery fire and explosions.

The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied as his claimed conditions are not related to his military service or any presumptive exposure. The VA examinations and medical records do not provide sufficient evidence to establish a direct link between the current diagnoses and service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for left knee, left ankle, and lung/respiratory conditions have been denied as there is no evidence of current disabilities or objective indications of chronic disability.

The Veteran's left ankle disability is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA and private treatment records and scheduling a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of any current left ankle disability.