Ankle decisions — 2018

The Board has reopened the previously denied claims of service connection for bilateral flatfoot, hammer toes of the right foot, and hammer toes of the left foot based on new evidence. The claims are now remanded for further development.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are being remanded due to the need for further development.,Service connection is denied for radiculopathy of the left upper extremity, bilateral pes planus, a bilateral achilles heel disorder, psoriatic arthritis with vasculitis, and a bilateral knee condition.

The Veteran's hypertension is denied as it is neither proximately due to nor aggravated by diabetes mellitus type 2, and is not otherwise related to an in-service injury or disease.,The Veteran’s back disorder is remanded for further development of evidence regarding in-service and post-service pain.,The Veteran’s left ankle disorder is remanded for a medical opinion addressing his reports of ankle pain following service.,The Veteran’s right ankle disorder is remanded for a medical opinion addressing the relationship between favoring his left ankle and his current right ankle disorder.,The Veteran’s tuberculosis claim requires a VA examination to determine if it may be related to in-service treatment at Fort Polk, Louisiana.,The Veteran’s skin disorder is remanded for an addendum opinion addressing whether his lay statements of continued symptoms since service are supported by medical evidence.,The Veteran’s acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD and adjustment disorder with depressed mood) is remanded for a medical opinion regarding the possibility of prior diagnoses related to service.,The Veteran's diabetes mellitus type 2 rating claim is remanded for assignment of an effective date prior to March 14, 2006.,The Veteran’s peripheral neuropathy claims are remanded for initial ratings and effective dates.,The Veteran’s back examination will include assessment of any neuropathy symptoms related to the back.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to conflicting diagnoses and opinions regarding the Veteran's right ankle disorder. The claim will be reviewed again with an addendum opinion from a VA examiner.

The Board granted service connection for a back disability and denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, bilateral hand disability, neck disability, bilateral knee disability, bilateral ankle disability, and sleep apnea. The decision also remanded the issue of an initial disability rating in excess of 10 percent for right shoulder strain.

The Veteran's service connection claims for various foot and leg disabilities, as well as his claim for a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss, are being remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions and an advisory opinion regarding radiation exposure.

The Board has decided to remand the claims for sleep apnea and bilateral ankle condition due to insufficient medical evidence, and additional development is needed.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities have not been properly evaluated and requires additional examinations to determine their current severity.

The Veteran's right knee disability is denied as there is no evidence of a current condition related to service.,Service connection for shin splints, right ankle disability, and left ankle strain are all denied due to lack of current diagnoses.

The Board has remanded the claim of entitlement to service connection for pancreatic cancer as secondary to service-connected disabilities due to inadequate development and need for a VA examination.

The Board denied extraschedular ratings for the Veteran's service-connected loss of motion of various joints associated with Reiter’s syndrome, finding that the schedular criteria adequately described his symptoms.

The Veteran's claims for right foot plantar fasciitis, right ankle disorder, bilateral knee disorder, benign prostatic hyperplasia and hypertension, acquired psychiatric disorder, erectile dysfunction (ED), left foot plantar fasciitis, bilateral onychomycosis, eye disorder, left ankle disorder, back disorder, and tinnitus have all been denied. The appeals were based on direct service connection.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for bilateral shin splints, right ankle condition, and bilateral wrist condition due to their inextricability. The Veteran's representative listed service connection for migraine headaches as an issue but later withdrew it. The issues are now being reviewed with a focus on obtaining medical opinions regarding the etiology of the current conditions.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including undifferentiated somatoform disorder and anxiety disorder with mood swings, lack of concentration, memory loss and fatigue, have rendered him unable to maintain substantially gainful employment due to his physical limitations and mental health issues.

The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied as new and material evidence was not received. The appeal is denied.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection of his lumbar spine, left and right knee, right ankle, and right foot disabilities as secondary to his service-connected residuals of fracture of the left ankle with traumatic arthritis due to inadequate opinions from VA examiners.

The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral ankle disorder is related to service, despite conflicting opinions from VA and private examiners. The evidence is in equipoise as to whether the current disability was caused by service.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's claims for increased rating and TDIU are remanded due to insufficient examination reports. The Veteran will need a new VA examination to assess her left leg disorder.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and rating of his disabilities are being remanded due to the need for additional medical evidence. The effective date for the grant of service connection for a left ankle sprain is denied as there were no prior unadjudicated claims.

The Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for increased ratings and service connection were denied as the evidence did not show an increase in disability or a new claim within one year of the initial rating decisions.,The Veteran was granted service connection for his conditions, but the effective dates assigned are based on when he filed his original claims.