Ankle decisions — 2021

The Board has dismissed the appeals for service connection and rating of PTSD, as well as the requests for an initial rating in excess of 50 percent for migraine headaches and a prior effective date for those benefits. The right elbow and left ankle disabilities were also not granted.

The Board dismissed the Veteran's claims for service connection for right ankle complex regional pain syndrome and fibromyalgia due to her withdrawal of these claims prior to a decision being made.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have not rendered him unable to secure and follow substantially gainful employment, thus his claim for TDIU is denied.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for a respiratory system condition, back condition and bilateral ankle condition have been denied.,Specifically, the Board found that there is no evidence linking the Veteran’s current conditions to his active duty service.

The Board has remanded the claims for entitlement to service connection for a right ankle disability, right shoulder disability, and right foot disability due to additional development being necessary.

The Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea is granted as service-connected, while his gout and/or generalized arthritis, left leg disability, right leg/right ankle disability, skin disability of the feet, bilateral foot disability, carpal tunnel syndrome, acid reflux, hemorrhoids, poor circulation/venous insufficiency, and headache disability are denied. The Veteran's jock itch is also denied.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for additional development, including verifying her in-service stressor and obtaining relevant medical records. The issues of service connection for acquired psychiatric disability (major depression with anxious distress), low back disability, left arm disability, and bilateral ankle disability resulting in numbness are all pending.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right ankle disorder, which includes a fracture, is related to his service and granted service connection for this condition.

The Board has decided to remand the cases for further development due to insufficient examination rationale and need for a new VA medical opinion.

The Board has granted a 10 percent rating for the Veteran's right ankle disability. The remaining issues of service connection and entitlement to an initial compensable rating for bilateral blepharoconjunctivitis are remanded.

The Veteran's right and left ankle disabilities, diagnosed as osteoarthritis with Achilles tendonitis, were rated at 10% prior to April 2, 2019. The Board found that the disability did not warrant a higher rating based on limitation of motion or other criteria.

Service connection for degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine is granted.,Service connection for left ankle disability (strain) is denied. The issue has been remanded.

The Board has remanded the claims for right and left ankle strain as they are unclear on whether the Veteran experiences flare-ups of his disabilities, which could affect the rating assigned.

The Board has decided to remand several claims for additional development, including clarification of the Veteran's periods of active duty and National Guard service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection of residuals of ankle injury, finding that there was no evidence to support a causal relationship between his in-service ankle injury and his current disability.

The Board granted a 30 percent rating for status/post crush injury to the left ankle with open reduction and internal fixation, effective from the date of the decision.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral shoulder disability and right hip disability, finding that the evidence is at least in equipoise regarding whether these conditions are related to service. Service connection was denied for left ankle disability due to lack of a current diagnosis.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to inadequate examinations and opinions. The Veteran is presumed to have been on orders during her injuries, meeting the first prong of service connection. However, the second prong was not met as there are no diagnoses related to the claimed conditions.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings for his service-connected bilateral ankle and knee disabilities are being remanded due to the need for updated VA treatment records, additional private medical records, and VA examinations.

The Board has remanded the case due to issues related to service connection for left ankle disorder and reduction of disability evaluation.