Ankle decisions — 2020

The Veteran's left shoulder disability is rated at 20 percent, his recurrent dislocation of the left shoulder is granted a noncompensable rating, and he has service connection for his left ankle and lower back disabilities as secondary to his right ankle disability.

The Veteran's left ankle disability is currently rated at 20 percent, and the Board denied an increased rating.,The Veteran's allergic rhinitis is currently rated as noncompensable, and the Board denied a compensable rating.

The Veteran's right ankle disability is rated at a 20 percent rating, effective from December 3, 2019.

The Veteran's appeal for an increased rating for his right ankle disability is denied. The maximum benefit allowed is a 20 percent rating, which is the highest possible under DC 5271.

The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including right and left ankle disorders, knee disorders, flatfeet, hypertension, headaches, sleep apnea, and diabetes mellitus. The claims were not reopened due to lack of new and material evidence.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for additional examinations and evaluations regarding his claimed left ankle disorder, right hand disorder, right leg disorder, groin disorder, and traumatic brain injury. The Veteran has not been provided with a VA examination or opinion related to these issues.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a psychiatric disability and a left ankle disability, finding that there is no current diagnosis of either condition and that any potential link to military service is not supported by the evidence.

The Veteran's appeals for left ankle disability and tuberculosis have been dismissed due to his death during the appeal process.

The Veteran's service-connected degenerative arthritis of the left knee, right knee, and right ankle tendonitis have been granted increased ratings. The left knee is rated at 30% effective December 16, 2018. The right knee is rated at 30% effective June 15, 2020 for lateral instability. The right ankle tendonitis is rated at 30% effective December 16, 2018.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for increased ratings and TDIU are remanded due to inadequate VA examinations, need for updated VA treatment records, and incomplete employment history information.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional medical evidence, including treatment records from a recent hospitalization and VA examinations.

The Board denied service connection for a left knee disability, right ankle disability, and headache disability. The claims of service connection for chronic cough and acid reflux are remanded.,Service connection is not granted for the Veteran's claimed conditions as they do not meet the criteria for direct service connection.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for various joint disabilities due to inadequate examination and development of records. The issues include right elbow, left elbow, right wrist, left wrist, right knee, left knee, right foot, left foot, and right ankle disabilities.

The Veteran's service-connected left ankle sprain has not been manifested by severe limitation of motion or ankylosis, and therefore, the claim for a higher rating is denied.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities render him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment, and the Board has granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU).

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient information from previous VA examinations. The Veteran's right ankle injury needs further evaluation and an additional retrospective opinion is required.

The Veteran's left ankle disability has been rated at 20 percent, but no higher, due to marked limitation of motion. The appeal is granted.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a TDIU as his service-connected disabilities have not rendered him incapable of securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board has remanded the claims for further development due to inadequate examination reports and other issues.

The Board has denied service connection for left and right knee disorders, a right shoulder disorder, left and right ankle disorders, and a lumbar spine disorder all related to exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune. The Veteran is not currently service connected for any disabilities.