Ankle decisions — 2021

The Veteran's service connection claims for bilateral knee pain and right ankle pain are granted as her symptoms have resulted in functional impairment since active duty.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a right ankle condition, right knee condition, and right thumb condition.,There is no evidence in the record to support that any of these conditions were incurred or aggravated by service.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development and consideration due to errors in previous decisions regarding ratings for hemorrhoids, left ankle disability, and TDIU.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for right ankle arthritis, left ankle disability, and tinnitus have been granted.,The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for kidney stones remains pending.

The Board denied service connection for a left knee disability and a left ankle disability, finding that the Veteran's current disabilities are not related to his active service.,There is no evidence of chronicity or continuity of symptoms after service, and the medical opinion concluded that the in-service injury was minor with no residual effects.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not prevent him from obtaining or maintaining a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current disability related to his claimed left knee pain, right knee pain, left ankle condition, back problems, or neck condition. As such, service connection for these conditions is denied.

The Board has remanded the cases for further action due to inadequate VA examinations and inextricably intertwined issues.

The Veteran's claims for increased rating and TDIU related to his service-connected left ankle disability are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including a new VA examination.

The Board has granted a 20 percent rating for the Veteran's right ankle degenerative joint disease as of January 30, 2014. The highest available rating under the applicable diagnostic code is now in effect.

The Veteran's appeal for a higher rating for his right ankle disability is denied. The Board finds that the preponderance of evidence does not support a rating in excess of 10 percent. For service connection, the case is remanded as there are issues regarding bilateral foot conditions and their relationship to service.

The Veteran's appeal for a rating in excess of 60 percent for his left knee injury, post/operative knee replacement is dismissed. Service connection claims for bilateral foot disorder, low back disorder, and right knee disorder are denied as the evidence does not support direct service connection.

The Veteran's bilateral knee and ankle disabilities are denied as there is no evidence of current disability.,The Veteran's chronic headache disability is denied. There is no evidence of current headache, bilateral knee, or bilateral ankle disabilities.

The Board denied the Veteran's requests for earlier effective dates for the awards of service connection for lumbar spine and left ankle disabilities, finding that the earliest possible effective dates have been granted.

The Veteran was granted a TDIU effective July 30, 2019 due to his service-connected mental health disabilities. The Board found that the Veteran's right ankle disability and tinnitus did not prevent him from securing or following substantially gainful employment prior to this date.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have rendered him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment, and the Board has granted a TDIU for the entire appeal period.

The Board has remanded the cases of service connection for a left ankle disability and bilateral hip disabilities, as well as the issue of TDIU due to lack of substantial compliance with previous remand orders. The claims are now pending again.

The Veteran's right ankle condition and scar have been remanded for further development. Additionally, the Board has found that service connection is warranted for a separate rating for neurological impairment of the bilateral lower extremities.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for low back, right hip, left knee, right knee, and right ankle disabilities due to a parachute jump incident in 1963. The VA will need to schedule new examinations to determine if these conditions are related to service.

The Veteran's cause of death was a cerebrovascular accident (stroke), which the VA medical opinion found to be unrelated to his service-connected conditions.,The Veteran did not meet the criteria for Dependency and Indemnity Compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1318 as he had countable income exceeding the maximum annual death pension rate.