Ankle decisions — 2018

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for updated VA treatment records and a new VA examination to assess the current severity of his right ankle scar.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for low back pain, left knee condition, right knee condition, left ankle condition, and right ankle condition due to inadequate VA examinations. The Veteran's statements and private treatment records indicate she had injuries in service, but the VA examinations did not consider these factors or provide a rationale for their conclusions.

The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral hearing loss, knee, ankle, and right upper extremity neurological disabilities due to lack of substantial compliance with prior remand directives. The Veteran's essential tremor is also being remanded as there was no opinion regarding whether it is related to Gulf War service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a left ankle disability, right ankle disability, chronic parotitis with stones, status post left parotidectomy, left knee disability, and right knee disability has been reopened. The claims are granted as secondary to bilateral otosclerosis with impaired hearing, post-operative stapedectomies.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate medical opinions regarding the severity of the service-connected residuals of osteomyelitis, left ankle. The appellant is required to provide additional information about her treatment records and a VA examiner must be provided with all relevant medical records to assess the condition.

The Veteran's bilateral knee condition and back condition are being remanded for further development.,Additional evidence or clarification is needed regarding the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for these conditions.

The Board has remanded several claims due to the need for additional development, including obtaining medical records and providing updated VA examinations.

The Veteran's left ankle disability is rated at 30 percent, but the Board finds that it does not meet or approximate the criteria for a higher rating.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for various disabilities, including PTSD, insomnia, back disorder, left ankle disorder, heart disorder, lower intestinal disorder, and hemorrhoids. The TDIU claim is also being remanded.

The Veteran's right ankle bursitis is granted service connection, while his tailor’s bunion and onychomycosis are denied. The Veteran receives a compensable rating for his intractable plantar keratosis.

An effective date of April 1, 2011 but no earlier is granted for a 70 percent evaluation for posttraumatic stress disorder with depressive disorder.,The Veteran's claim for left ankle osteoarthritis prior to December 15, 2011 is denied.

The Board has remanded the cases due to concerns about the adequacy of a May 2014 VA examination, specifically regarding flares and functional loss.

The Board has granted service connection for left knee osteoarthritis and left ankle chronic posterior tibialis tendinopathy and talar edema, finding that these conditions are secondary to the Veteran's service-connected right knee disability.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for herniated nucleus pulposus L5-S1 with degenerative arthritis of the spine, chronic right ankle sprain, and status post left arthroscopic meniscectomy with post-operative scarring due to inadequate VA examinations. The Veteran must be provided new VA examinations that comply with Correia v. McDonald (2016).

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder due to new and material evidence. The claims of service connection for other disabilities remain remanded for additional development.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities combined to a total of 60 percent, but did not meet the schedular requirements for TDIU. The Board referred the case to the Director of Compensation and Pension Services (Director) for extraschedular consideration due to unemployability caused by his service-connected conditions.

The Veteran's claim for an initial disability rating in excess of 30 percent for PTSD has been denied. The Board found that the symptoms do not more nearly approximate the criteria for a higher disability rating, and thus only a 30 percent rating is warranted.

The Veteran's right ankle disability was not shown to meet the criteria for a higher rating prior to October 6, 2010.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's back and neck disabilities, which had their onset during active duty for training (ACDUTRA). The left ankle disability is also considered to have its onset during ACDUTRA. However, the TDIU claim remains pending as it is inextricably intertwined with the left ankle claim.

The Board has denied service connection for left and right ankle disabilities due to the lack of a current diagnosis. The case is remanded for further development, including an examination to assess the severity of the Veteran's stress fracture of the left tibia.