Ankle decisions — 2019

The Veteran's thoracolumbar spine, cervical spine, right hip, left hip, right knee, left knee, right ankle, left ankle, and right foot disabilities are remanded for further development. The Veteran's heart disorder, hypertension, and Parkinson's disease claims are also remanded.

The Board has found that the appellant's claim for DIC under 38 U.S.C. § 1318 is not warranted due to a lack of continuous total disability rating for at least 10 years prior to death and was not rated as totally disabled continuously since release from active duty. The appeal regarding service connection for cause of death has been remanded.

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

The Board has remanded the claims for additional development due to insufficient evidence and missing records. The Veteran's vocational rehabilitation file must be obtained, as well as any relevant VA and private medical records.

The Veteran's initial disability ratings for his ankles, back, and allergic rhinitis are on appeal. The reduction in rating from 20 percent to 10 percent for right and left ankle strain, lower back strain, and allergic rhinitis is also under review.

The Board has dismissed all claims due to the death of the appellant.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's right ankle sprain with instability, finding that it is related to an in-service injury and resolving any doubt in favor of the claim.

Service connection is granted for cervical spine disorder, left ankle disorder, and right hip disorders. Compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for syncope due to VA medical treatment is denied.,New evidence has been received that raises a reasonable possibility of substantiating the Veteran's claims for service connection for left ankle disorder, cervical spine disorder, and bilateral hip disorders.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for left ankle sprain, loss of smell and taste, and degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine. The case is remanded to obtain additional medical opinions on these issues.

The Veteran's service connection claim for TBI and IBS was granted, with a rating of 30 percent assigned for IBS. The claims for low back disability, right ankle disability, and skin disability of the right foot are remanded.

The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's service connection claims due to inadequate previous examinations. The claims for right knee, left knee, and left ankle disabilities are being remanded because new opinions are needed. Other claims such as joint pain, cough, GERD, headaches, nerve disability, PTSD with depression, erectile dysfunction, and TDIU are also being remanded.

The appeals for service connection of a vision disability, positive tuberculosis (TB) tine test, hernia disability, and stomach injury are dismissed.,Service connection is denied for left ankle disability. The Veteran's current left ankle disability is not related to his service.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, but the issues of service connection for a condition of the left foot and ankle and eye irritation are remanded due to insufficient evidence.

The Board has granted the petitions to reopen claims for service connection for right knee disorder, right ankle disorder, acquired psychiatric disorder, and sleep apnea. The Veteran's pes planus is rated at 50% disabling.

The Veteran's application to reopen his claim of entitlement to service connection for residual ligament instability of the left ankle with synovitis and mild arthritis was granted. However, service connection for a left ankle disability is denied.

The Veteran's chronic obstructive sleep apnea is granted as service connected. The Board also remanded the cases for additional examinations and rating determinations due to new evidence of worsening symptoms.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's current right ankle disability is related to his in-service injury. The examiner needs to provide a clear explanation of why the post-service injury might be more responsible for the condition than the service-connected one.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss has been denied as there is no evidence of a current disability for VA purposes.,The Veteran's claims for service connection for lateral collateral ligament sprain, chronic/recurrent, left ankle and right ankle have been remanded due to inadequate examination reports.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension has been remanded due to an inadequate examination report.

Your claims for service connection on multiple conditions have been remanded to the agency of original jurisdiction (AOJ) for review of additional medical evidence.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for residuals of a left ankle injury, finding that there was no credible evidence to support his assertion of an in-service injury and concluding that his current left ankle disability is not related to his military service.