Ankle decisions — 2020

The Veteran's claim of service connection for a bilateral ankle condition is dismissed as moot due to the grant of service connection for posterior tibial tendonitis. The claim of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability (anxiety disorder) is denied, and the claim for increased rating for pes planus with bilateral fasciitis and hammertoes is also denied.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection on several conditions have been withdrawn. The claims for right ankle disability, chronic kidney disability, and PTSD rating are being remanded due to the need for additional examination or evidence. The claim for chronic kidney disease has been reopened based on new evidence.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and ankle conditions have been remanded for further evaluation due to insufficient evidence in the record.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and TDIU were denied. The cervical spine disability was rated at 20 percent, the lumbar spine disability at 20 percent, left and right wrist disabilities at 10 percent each, bilateral ankle disabilities at 10 percent each, and elbow disabilities (excluding pronation) at 10 percent each. TDIU was granted on an extraschedular basis from September 21, 2007 until June 8, 2009, and then effective June 8, 2009.

The Veteran's appeals for increased evaluations of his service-connected disabilities have been dismissed due to the appellant's withdrawal of the appeal.

The Board has decided to remand the claims for right wrist ulnocarpal impaction syndrome, patellar subluxation of the right knee, surgically repaired right ankle sprain, and left knee disorder due to insufficient evidence from previous VA examinations. The Veteran will need to be scheduled for additional VA examinations.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development due to inadequate opinions in previous addendum evaluations.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for a rating in excess of 10 percent prior to January 9, 2015, and in excess of 20 percent thereafter for right ankle Achilles tendonitis and left ankle Achilles tendonitis due to inadequate development.

The Veteran's petition to reopen his claim for service connection of a right ankle disability is granted. The claims for hypertension and sleep apnea are remanded due to the need for additional evidence and examination.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is denied because he does not have any service-connected disabilities.

The Board has remanded the service connection claims for right knee disorder, left knee disorder, right ankle disorder, left ankle disorder, pes planus, and back disorder. The TDIU claim is dismissed.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's previously denied claims for service connection of left knee disability, left ankle disability, and psoriasis. The case is being remanded to obtain additional medical records and to schedule a VA examination.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation as of November 1, 2007. The Board granted a TDIU effective from that date.

The Veteran's petition to reopen claims for service connection for tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss was granted. Service connection for tinnitus is granted, but the claim for bilateral hearing loss remains denied due to lack of new and material evidence. The Veteran's persistent depressive disorder with major depressive disorder is now rated at 70% from April 20, 2018 onwards.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a left ankle disability, finding that there was no evidence linking the condition to his military service or any pre-existing condition.

The Board denied service connection for a right ankle disability other than calcaneofibular ligament strain, degenerative arthritis, and resolved Achilles tendonitis. It also denied an initial rating higher than 10 percent for non-obstructive coronary artery disease prior to September 20, 2010 and an initial rating higher than 30 percent for the same condition from that date.

The Veteran's left ankle disability was rated at 10 percent prior to December 13, 2014 and in excess of 10 percent thereafter. The Board denied a higher rating as the evidence did not show more than moderate limitation of motion.

The Veteran's application to reopen a claim for service connection of his right ankle condition was denied. The claim for left ankle condition is also denied. Service connection and increased disability evaluations are denied for mechanical thoracolumbar strain and left wrist tendinitis, respectively.,Service connection cannot be established as there is no evidence of current or past left ankle conditions. For the right ankle condition, while the Veteran has reported pain, there is insufficient evidence to establish a current diagnosis.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been denied as new and material evidence has not been received to reopen the claims. The Board affirmed the denial of these claims in multiple decisions.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional examinations and opinions to address the claims of service connection for various conditions, including bilateral hearing loss, head injuries, left eye welding burns, sleep disorders, low back disabilities, knee and ankle issues. The appeals are related to in-service exposure or other direct causes.