Ankle decisions — 2020

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including residuals of a left finger fracture, right dislocated sternoclavicular joint, right and left wrist disabilities, right and left ankle disabilities, bronchitis, chronic upper respiratory illness, and a rib condition. The evidence does not support current diagnoses for any of these conditions.,The Board also remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for a low back condition, right foot condition, and left foot condition.

The Veteran's service connection claim for TBI and PTSD remains denied, while the claims for left knee and ankle disabilities are remanded.,PTSD rating in excess of 70 percent is also denied.

The Veteran's right ankle disability is currently rated at 10 percent since April 4, 2012. The Board found that the evidence did not show marked limitation of motion to warrant a higher rating.,For his bilateral hearing loss, no compensable initial rating was granted as there were no exceptional patterns of hearing impairment present.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a right ankle condition, finding that there was no causal relationship between his active duty service and his current right ankle condition. The Board also found that his right ankle condition is not related to any of his service-connected disabilities.

The Board has remanded the cases due to the need for additional medical examinations and etiological opinions, as well as for obtaining outstanding VA treatment records and Social Security Administration (SSA) records.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unable to secure or maintain substantially gainful employment, and thus denied his claim for TDIU.

The Board has decided to remand the claims for service connection for a right ankle disorder, lower back disorder, and sciatica in the right lower extremity due to the need for further medical evaluation.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to outstanding records and the need for further development, including obtaining SSA records and private treatment records.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for a rating in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected right ankle disability and granted a compensable rating (10%) for his left index finger disability with resultant malalignment.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been granted, with effective dates of May 21, 2018. The RO also assigned a disability rating of 40 percent for mechanical low back pain with lumbosacral strain, degenerative joint and disc disease of the lumbar spine, and intervertebral disc syndrome.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for various joint disabilities due to insufficient medical opinions and the need for updated treatment records.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals for right ankle, left shoulder, and dermatitis claims.

The Board denied service connection for right foot and right ankle disabilities, finding that the current conditions are not related to in-service injuries or events.

The Veteran's claims for initial compensable ratings for muscle tension headaches and achilles tendonitis of the left ankle are being remanded due to insufficient evidence of current severity.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings have been denied as there is no evidence of ankylosis or other disabling conditions that would warrant a higher rating.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to inadequate VA examinations and consideration of Gulf War criteria. The specific issues are related to bilateral shoulder, wrist and hand, low back, knee, ankle and foot disorders as well as tinnitus.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral ankle, hip, and foot conditions on a secondary basis due to the Veteran's service-connected left knee condition. Service connection for nummular dermatitis is also granted as it is related to his Persian Gulf War service.

For the period from June 18, 2012 to April 16, 2019, an initial disability rating of 40 percent for bilateral hearing loss is granted.,From October 1, 2013, the criteria for a TDIU have been met due to service-connected disabilities precluding substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's claims for service connection of multiple conditions were granted effective October 1, 2011.

The Board has remanded the cases for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and an addendum opinion regarding service connection for left knee, right hip, and left hip disabilities. The Veteran's left ankle disability is granted a 20% rating.