Ankle decisions — 2021

The Board has granted service connection for a left leg disability secondary to the Veteran's service-connected residuals of right tibia-fibula fracture. The case is remanded for further development regarding the rating and TDIU claims.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for left and right ankle disabilities, finding that there was no evidence linking his current disabilities to service.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating in excess of 20 percent for a healed distal fibular shaft, status post right ankle fracture, is denied as the evidence does not show malunion of the os calcis or astragalus, an astragalectomy, or ankylosis.

The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as service-connected. The Board finds that the evidence is in equipoise as to whether the Veteran's other claimed conditions are related to his military service.

The Veteran's rating for asymmetrical disc space narrowing of the lumbar spine is denied as it does not meet the criteria for a higher than 20 percent rating.,The Veteran's ratings for right and left ankle disabilities are also denied as they do not meet the criteria for a higher than 20 percent rating.

The case is being remanded due to the addition of substantial evidence since the last decision and because updated VA treatment records are needed.

The Board has remanded the cases due to inadequate medical opinions and a failure to attend an examination. The Veteran's left ankle and left foot disabilities are being reviewed again with new medical opinions addressing whether they are proximately due to or aggravated by service-connected conditions.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a left ankle disability and has remanded issues related to reductions in ratings for right and left knee disabilities, as well as claims for higher ratings for limitation of motion of both knees.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for a right ankle disability, finding that his current condition is related to an in-service injury and continuing symptoms since then. The appeal was reopened due to new evidence received.

The Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 30 percent for tension headaches has been denied.,The claims for service connection for low back disability and right ankle disability are remanded due to the need for additional development.

The Veteran's initial rating for unspecified depressive disorder was denied as it did not meet the criteria for a higher rating prior to June 19, 2019 and in excess of 50 percent thereafter.,The Veteran's back disability was also denied as it did not meet the criteria for a higher rating.

The Board denied service connection for a left foot disability, left ankle arthritis, thick, painful toenails and hammer toes, and tinea unguium (onychomycosis) of the left great toenail. The Veteran's current conditions were not shown to be related to his military service.

The Board has granted service connection for a left ankle disability, but the issue of service connection for diabetes mellitus (DM II) is remanded due to insufficient evidence.

The Board has remanded the claims for left knee arthritis, right ankle pain, left ankle pain, gynecological disorders, shortness of breath, and chest pain due to incomplete development or lack of substantial compliance with previous remand directives.,An addendum opinion is needed regarding whether the Veteran's bilateral ankle conditions are related to service.

The Board has decided to remand the cases for further development and evaluation, particularly regarding the Veteran's right ankle disability. The issues of service connection and nonservice-connected pension benefits are intertwined.

The Veteran's left ankle degenerative joint disease is rated at 20 percent prior to June 28, 2016 and denied for a rating in excess of 10 percent on and after September 1, 2016.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, bilateral ankle arthritis, low back strain, right bicep injury, and right foot scar, precluded him from securing and following substantially gainful employment prior to October 18, 2011.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, especially his left ankle disability, have rendered him unemployable since March 1, 2009. The Board has determined that a TDIU on an extra-schedular basis is warranted for this period.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for left and right ankle disabilities due to insufficient evidence in the Veteran's record regarding the onset of his ankle conditions during service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a low back disability was denied. The claim for increased rating of IBS to 30 percent was granted effective January 11, 2021. The claim for a rating in excess of 20 percent for left ankle disability remains pending.