Ankle decisions — 2022

The Veteran's appeal for a higher rating for his left ankle disability is dismissed. The Board has granted the Veteran a total disability rating based on individual unemployability throughout the entire appeal period.

The Board has denied service connection for right and left ankle disorders due to a lack of evidence showing current disabilities. The Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss, left hip condition, right hip condition, left knee condition, and right knee condition are being remanded as the VA examination did not address all requested elements.

The request to reopen the previously denied claim of entitlement to service connection for a right knee disability is granted.,Service connection for a right leg disability (claimed as right knee) is denied.

The appeals for service connection and evaluation of the Veteran's disabilities have been dismissed due to his death.

The Board denied entitlement to a rating in excess of 20 percent for limited motion of the left ankle from June 23, 2021, to May 12, 2022, finding that the disability manifested by marked limited motion warranted this maximum rating under Diagnostic Code 5271.

The Board has granted a rating of 20 percent for the Veteran's right ankle disability, finding that his moderate ankle disability warrants this rating.

The Board has dismissed all appeals as the Veteran died during the pendency of the appeal.

The Veteran's claims for swamp fever, left breast cyst residuals, and right ankle disability were denied. The claim for service connection for bilateral dry eye syndrome was granted with a rating of 20 percent.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for left ankle, right knee, and right foot disabilities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology. The Veteran is advised to provide authorization for VA to obtain private treatment records from his providers.

Service connection for bilateral pes planus, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus has been granted.,The issues of service connection for a bilateral knee disorder and a bilateral ankle disorder are remanded for VA examinations.

The Board has granted service connection for right ankle arthritis, right foot calcaneal spur, right foot hallux valgus, and right foot hammer toe on a secondary basis to the Veteran's service-connected pes planus.

The Veteran's petition to reopen service connection for a low back condition and right ankle condition was granted. The Veteran also received increased ratings for his bilateral shoulder conditions, nephrolithiasis (kidney stones), and the initial grant of service connection for sinusitis.

The Veteran's right and left tibia disabilities, as well as their associated knee and ankle instability issues, have been granted increased ratings. The right and left knee instability issues received initial 10 percent ratings prior to April 22, 2022, and a 20 percent rating from that date onwards. Right and left ankle instability issues also received initial 10 percent ratings.

The Board denied service connection for a left ankle disability, finding that the evidence does not support a link between the Veteran's current condition and his military service.,Service connection for a back disability is remanded due to insufficient medical opinion regarding its etiology.

The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's service connection claims due to deficiencies in previous medical opinions and need for additional development of the record.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment, and the Board granted a TDIU based on his physical and cognitive limitations.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for lumbar spine, right lower extremity, bilateral hip, bilateral knee, and bilateral ankle disabilities due to insufficient examination findings and opinions. The Veteran's conditions are being reviewed again to determine if they are related to his service-connected right thigh gunshot wound.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus, bilateral hearing loss, right ankle disability, and left ankle disability have been granted. The Board found that the evidence was at least in equipoise regarding the question of whether the Veteran's current disabilities are etiologically related to military noise exposure.

The Veteran's initial ratings for his service-connected thoracic strain, right knee tricompartmental chondrocalcinosis, and right ankle sprain are being remanded due to the possibility of worsening symptoms. A new VA examination is needed to assess the current severity of these conditions.

The Veteran's initial and increased ratings for migraine headaches, left wrist disability, and left ankle disability have been denied. The Veteran is currently receiving the maximum schedular rating for his headache disability.