Ankle decisions — 2021

The Veteran's tinnitus is presumed to have been incurred in service and the claim for service connection is granted.,Service connection for right shoulder disorder, right ankle disorder, and sleep apnea are remanded due to insufficient evidence regarding their onset or relationship to service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a right foot disability and TDIU prior to January 24, 2011. The evidence did not support a finding that her current right foot condition was related to her military service or any service-connected disabilities.

The Board has remanded the claims for a low back disorder, sinus tarsi syndrome with left ankle nerve impingement, and chronic left ankle strain with loss of motion associated with sinus tarsi syndrome due to failure to report for VA examinations.

The Veteran is granted TDIU for the period prior to September 23, 2017 due to his service-connected Major Depressive Disorder. For the period from September 23, 2017 onwards, he has a combined rating of 100% and is deemed unemployable based on his service-connected Major Depressive Disorder.

The Veteran's foot fungus claim is denied as there is no current diagnosis of a foot fungus or residuals thereof.,Service connection for bilateral ankle sprain has been granted, but the Veteran's disability remains at a non-compensable rating due to lack of functional impairment.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including his right ankle and bilateral knee osteoarthritis, did not prevent him from securing or following substantially gainful employment. The Board denied the TDIU claim as the evidence does not support that any of the service-connected disabilities alone or in combination prevented him from obtaining employment.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is remanded for extraschedular consideration due to unemployability prior to February 4, 2019. His left ankle degenerative joint disease rating is also remanded for a new VA examination.

The Board denied service connection for right knee and right ankle disabilities due to lack of evidence linking the conditions to active service, with the exception that the earliest documented symptoms were over 28 years after separation from service.

The Board has decided to remand the cases of cervical spine and left ankle disabilities for additional development due to missing VA treatment records.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection and rating of his right arm, knee, foot, and ankle disabilities due to incomplete records. The Veteran will need to provide information about any private healthcare providers who have treated him for these conditions.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations and evaluations. The issues include bilateral hearing loss, neck condition, lower back condition, left-hand condition, right-hand condition, right knee condition, left-knee condition, right ankle condition, and left-ankle condition.

The Veteran's right ankle arthritis is currently rated at 20 percent from June 22, 2009. The left ankle arthritis remains rated at 20 percent throughout the rating period.

The Board has granted service connection for sleep apnea as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected disability of residuals of left ankle injury with reflex sympathetic dystrophy with arthritis and total right knee replacement.

The Veteran's left ankle chronic Achilles tendonitis was rated at 10 percent prior to July 12, 2019 and granted a rating of 20 percent since then. The Board found that the disability did not meet or approximate the criteria for a higher rating.

The Board has granted a separate 20 percent rating for left ankle instability, but denied a higher rating for left ankle limitation of motion.

The Board has dismissed the appeals for increased ratings and service connection for right shoulder strain, bilateral hearing loss, bilateral plantar fasciitis, and bilateral shin splints. The appeal is REMANDED for additional VA examinations to determine the nature and etiology of the Veteran's low back disorder, bilateral knee disorder, and bilateral ankle disorder.

The Veteran's impairment of sphincter control associated with hemorrhoidectomy is granted a 60 percent evaluation prior to March 12, 2018.,Service connection for a cervical spine disability is granted.

The Board has remanded the claims for lumbar spine disability, right ankle disability, sinusitis, and asthma due to service connection issues. Additional medical records are needed from specific providers, and further opinions are required regarding the etiology of these conditions.

The Board has determined that effective dates earlier than the assigned ones cannot be granted for various claims due to lack of evidence showing an increase in disability within one year prior to the claim.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete service records and the need for further examination. The Veteran's right knee disability is being reviewed in relation to his service-connected right ankle disability.