Ankle decisions — 2022

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hypertension, which is presumed to be due to herbicide agent exposure in Vietnam, caused his ischemic stroke and ultimately led to his death. As a result, service connection for the cause of death is granted.

The Board has remanded three issues related to service-connected knee and ankle disabilities due to the need for a new VA examination. The Veteran's right knee, right ankle, and left ankle disabilities are all rated at 10 percent.

The Veteran's asthma is granted as service-connected due to presumed exposure to burn pits during his service in the Persian Gulf War.,Service connection for right ankle and neck disabilities is denied because there is no evidence of a nexus between these conditions and service.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to a lack of substantial compliance with prior remand directives and the need for additional examination. The Veteran's right ankle disability rating is being reviewed again.

The Board has decided to remand the cases for further examination and opinion regarding the Veteran's right ankle arthritis and any right calf disability. The cases will be reviewed again with a focus on assessing the current severity of these conditions and determining if they are related to service.

The Veteran's left ankle DJD is granted a 20% rating, but no more. The lumbar spine disability remains at 40%. A TDIU is granted.

The Board has remanded the case for additional medical opinions regarding the Veteran's lumbar spine disorder. The issues of service connection for right and left ankle arthritis, sleep apnea, and lumbar spine disorder are still pending.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including left and right ankle conditions, left knee arthritis, right knee condition, and TBI residuals, have effective dates starting from October 22, 2014.

The Veteran's appeal for various disability ratings and effective dates has been dismissed due to his withdrawal of the appeal.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities prevented him from securing or following substantially gainful employment since May 31, 2007. The Board granted TDIU effective that date.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, back disability, and left knee disability are being remanded due to the need for additional examinations.,Service connection is also being remanded for a compensable rating for hypertension and a compensable rating for a left ankle residual scar.

The Board has remanded the case for further development and an examination to determine if the Veteran's recurrent right ankle disability is related to her service or any other condition.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals before the Board, thus all claims are dismissed.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral ankle and foot disabilities due to lack of medical evidence linking her current conditions to military service.

The Veteran's right ankle chronic lateral collateral ligament sprain is currently rated at 10 percent from February 4, 2015. The Board has granted a 10 percent rating for the entire period on appeal.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's right knee and ankle disabilities, finding that they are secondary to his service-connected hand disabilities.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him unable to secure or maintain substantially gainful employment prior to February 10, 2015. Effective May 29, 2013, the Veteran was granted SMC based on his left knee disability.

The Veteran's lumbar spine disability is granted as service connected.,Service connection for left shoulder internal derangement and left ankle degenerative arthritis are remanded due to the need for additional development of evidence.,Service connection for right hip disability and left hip disability are remanded due to the need for additional development of evidence.

The Veteran's right ankle sprain, tinnitus, and bilateral hearing loss are all granted. However, the Board has determined that additional evidence is needed for service connection on issues related to gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), headaches, left knee disorder, left thumb scar, and joint pain.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is granted as it was caused by in-service noise exposure.,Service connection for tinnitus is granted as the Veteran has a current condition that manifested during service and continues to this day.,Left Achilles' tendonitis is granted as the Veteran had an injury in service, which resulted in continuous symptoms since then.