Ankle decisions — 2018

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to incomplete records and lack of medical opinions regarding the relationship between the Veteran's conditions and his military service.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his degenerative joint disease of the right ankle is remanded. The Board also directed the RO to adjudicate his secondary service connection claim for his right Achilles tendon, which was not addressed in the previous decision.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for a left ankle disorder and respiratory disorder due to incomplete service personnel records, lack of medical opinions on etiology, and need for additional VA examinations.

The Veteran's right ankle sprain, status post arthroscopy, is remanded for a new VA examination to assess the current severity of his disability. Additionally, TDIU claim is remanded due to failure in providing proper notification.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a right wrist disability is denied as there is no current diagnosis of the condition.,The Veteran's claim for tinnitus is denied as there is no evidence linking it to his military service.

The Board has granted service connection for a left ankle disability, but the claims of asthma and sleep apnea remain pending as they were not decided in this decision.

The Board denied service connection for chronic bronchitis, left ankle disorder, bilateral knee disorder, lumbar spine disorder, and cervical spine disorder due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to the Veteran's military service.

The Veteran's right wrist sprain is denied as there is no current diagnosis and the previous injury resolved.,The Veteran's upper back disability is denied due to lack of a current condition and insufficient evidence linking it to service.,The Veteran's right ankle sprain is denied because her current condition does not align with in-service complaints or findings.,The Veteran's sinusitis is denied as there was no chronicity during service, and the current diagnosis is resolved.,The Veteran's abdominal pain (dysmenorrhea) is denied due to lack of evidence connecting it to service.,The Veteran's dry skin condition is denied because her current diagnosis does not align with in-service complaints.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral knee pain, left ankle pain, and bilateral hearing loss due to a significant gap in medical records between service and VA treatment.

The Veteran's left ankle disability, which includes osteoarthritis and residual of a left ankle injury, is currently rated at 20 percent. The Board denied an increased rating as the symptoms do not meet or approximate the criteria for a higher rating.

The Board has denied service connection for a left ankle disability and remanded the issues of service connection for bilateral knee conditions due to lack of evidence showing current disabilities.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been granted, and effective dates of December 1, 2009 have been established for all conditions. The appeal was accepted as a timely notice of disagreement with the January 2010 rating decision.

The Veteran's initial claim for a higher rating for his service-connected left ankle disability is remanded due to the need for a new VA examination. His TDIU claim is also remanded as he has been found unemployable by reason of his service-connected disability.

The Veteran's initial rating for herniated disc, L5-S1 is granted at a 40 percent level effective from the entire period of appeal. Ratings of 20 percent are granted for right and left ankle strain. The Veteran is also granted TDIU.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining VA treatment records and considering whether the Veteran's June 13, 2018 VA Form 9 was timely filed. The issue of increased ratings for service-connected right ankle degenerative joint disease will be reconsidered.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for a lumbar spine disability, to include arthritis, to include as secondary to service-connected disabilities is dismissed. The Board has also remanded the issues of increased ratings for residuals of stress fractures of the left and right tibia, service connection for bilateral knee and ankle disabilities, and TDIU.

The Veteran's appeal is denied as he does not have a current diagnosis of a left ankle disability.

The Board has remanded the cases due to inadequate VA examination opinions and requests for additional medical opinions.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for initial disability ratings for his right and left knee injuries, as well as an increased rating for his right ankle disability. The case was previously before the Board in November 2016, where it was remanded for further development including VA examinations.

The Veteran's claims of service connection for various conditions have been denied. The appeal to restore the rating for cervical spine DDD has been granted.