Ankle decisions — 2018

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been reopened, and the Board has ordered remand on several issues including right knee disability rating, left knee and right ankle disabilities, back disability, and a right lower extremity disability.

The Veteran's service records do not support the presence of a TBI in service, and his current disabilities are not linked to any incident during service.,There is no evidence of a head injury or TBI in service. The Veteran’s STRs do not mention a fall or related head injury.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for a low back disability and right ankle disability, both secondary to service-connected residuals of a stress fracture of the right second metatarsal. The Veteran's representative requested additional opinions on direct service connection.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for obtaining outstanding private treatment records and VA treatment records, to include from Dr. T.S., and for readjudication of the issues on appeal.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current treatment and reports of continuous symptoms since service support this determination. Service connection is denied for right ankle disability, bilateral eye disorder, and HPV.

The Veteran's claim of a higher initial rating for his service-connected left ankle sprain is being remanded due to the addition of new VA treatment records. The case will be reviewed again with consideration of these new records.

The Veteran's claims for service connection were reopened due to the submission of new and material evidence. Service connection was granted for bilateral knee pain, but denied for other conditions including headache, depression, sciatic radiculopathy, left and right elbow strain, left and right wrist strain, right ankle strain, and hypertension.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to outstanding VA treatment records and need for additional medical opinions.

The Veteran's right ankle disability is rated at 10 percent prior to February 15, 2017, and at 20 percent thereafter. The Board found the evidence does not support a higher rating for any period.

The Veteran's right ankle disability, including total arthroplasty procedure with implant, is rated at 40 percent from December 1, 2014.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for a low back disorder, an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for his right knee disability, and an initial compensable rating for his left ankle disability due to insufficient information provided by VA examiners.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for a disability rating in excess of 10 percent and TDIU are remanded due to the need for additional examinations and records. The effective date for service connection remains pending as it is not applicable to these issues.

The Veteran's appeal for a higher rating for his prostate cancer residuals from December 1, 2015 was granted to a maximum of 60 percent. The other issues were dismissed due to the Veteran's withdrawal.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is remanded as he has not been provided proper notification and updated VA examinations are needed to assess the impact of his service-connected disabilities on his employment.

The Board has determined that the current evaluations for the Veteran's lumbar strain, left ankle sprain with instability, right ankle pain, and right L5 radiculopathy do not accurately reflect the severity of his disabilities. The Board also finds that a remand is required to address the issue of TDIU due to service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's right ankle condition is granted a 20% rating, effective from the date of the decision. The Veteran's PTSD is granted a 70% rating since May 31, 2012.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of entitlement to increased ratings for his left ankle, right ankle, left knee, and right knee disabilities due to failure to report for scheduled VA examinations without good cause.

The Board denied service connection for a lumbar spine (low back) disability, cervical spine (neck) disability, left knee disability, right knee disability, left ankle disability, and right ankle disability. The Board also denied service connection for a left leg disability manifested by neurological symptoms and a right leg disability manifested by neurological symptoms.,The Veteran's claims were not supported by evidence of an in-service injury or incident to which his current disabilities may be linked.

The Veteran's left ankle osteoarthritis is rated at 20 percent from March 4, 2016 and continuing thereafter. The Veteran's bilateral pes planus remains at a 30 percent rating.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection due to incomplete VA examination reports. The case is returned to the AOJ for further development, including obtaining additional VA examinations.