Ankle decisions — 2020

The Board has granted a 20 percent rating for the Veteran's right ankle disability. The case is being remanded to address the Veteran's TDIU claim, which was not previously considered in this appeal.

The Board has decided to remand the cases due to the need for additional development and medical opinions regarding the Veteran's ankle disabilities, including whether they are related to service or a service-connected condition.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right ankle disability, left ankle disability, right knee disability, and left knee disability are all remanded for further examination and opinion. Additionally, his claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is also remanded. The AOJ must attempt to obtain any outstanding audiologic testing results related to his hearing loss and provide the Veteran with addendum opinions regarding the nature and etiology of his ankle and knee disabilities.

The Veteran's right and left ankle disorders, as well as bilateral plantar fasciitis, are rated at 20 percent since August 30, 2018. The decision grants increased evaluations for these conditions.

The Board has remanded several issues for further development, including service connection claims and a VA examination. The Veteran's claims of glaucoma, bilateral ankle disability, hearing loss, tinnitus, sleep apnea, heart disability, hypertension, back disability, degenerative arthritis of the left hip, and peripheral neuropathy are all pending.

The Veteran's appeal was partially granted, with the claim for service connection for depression withdrawn. The claim for left ankle condition is reopened and remanded due to lack of new and material evidence. The right ankle condition issue remains pending.

The Veteran's tinnitus was incurred in service and is granted as service connection.,There is no current diagnosis of hypertension, thus denial of service connection for hypertension.,The Veteran has a qualifying chronic gastrointestinal disability manifested by constipation that began during service and is granted as service connection.,Service connection is denied for right rear leg condition, left rear leg condition, right knee disability, left knee disability, right ankle condition, and left ankle condition due to lack of evidence supporting the onset or relationship to service.,PFB is granted as service connection based on credible lay statements and medical history.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings and service connection were denied. The left ankle disability was not rated higher than 10 percent, the right shoulder disorder was not found to be incurred in or related to service, and neither the right knee nor left knee disorders were found to be incurred in or related to service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus have been granted.,Service connection has also been denied for right ankle and left ankle conditions.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for hearing loss was dismissed due to the Veteran's withdrawal of the claim.,Service connection for a sleep disorder, an ankle disorder, swelling of the joints and dizziness were denied as these conditions are not related to service or his service-connected feet disabilities.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete service treatment records and instructed the RO to contact the scanning contractor for further action.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for residuals of a right ankle injury, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus due to incomplete development and inadequate examination reports.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to insufficient rationale provided in previous VA examinations. The issues include lower back disability, right and left ankle disabilities, flat feet, and complex regional pain syndrome.

The Board has granted service connection for right shoulder, left shoulder, right ankle, and left ankle degenerative arthritis. The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is also considered to be related to his military service.,Service connection was denied for tinnitus as the VA examiner found no evidence of its occurrence during service.

The Veteran's appeal for a separate compensable rating for right ankle arthritis and an initial rating for anxiety was denied. The Board also found that the Veteran did not meet criteria for TDIU prior to March 9, 2010.

The Veteran's claim for hepatitis B was denied as there is no current diagnosis.,The Veteran's right ankle disorder and left shoulder disorder were granted service connection based on in-service injury.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete development and needs clarification from Dr. R.R. regarding imaging studies of the right ankle.

The Board has determined that a VA examination is needed to assess the Veteran's functional impairment from his service-connected disabilities and determine if he is unemployable due to these conditions. The examiner must consider all of the Veteran's service-connected disabilities, except for left knee degenerative arthritis, during the period from May 15, 2018 to July 1, 2019.

The Board has determined that there is no current diagnosis of a right ankle condition, and thus the claim for service connection for this issue is denied.,Service connection for a right ankle condition was also denied as there is no competent medical evidence to support the Veteran's contention that he has a confirmed current diagnosis or functional impairment from a right ankle disability.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not render him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment prior to May 10, 2011.