Ankle decisions — 2022

The Board denied service connection for various hip, knee, and ankle disabilities as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected degenerative disc disease (DDD) and intervertebral disc disease (IVDS) of the lumbar spine.

The Veteran is granted special monthly compensation based on the need for aid and attendance due to his service-connected stroke residuals. He is also granted financial assistance for automobile or other conveyance and adaptive equipment due to permanent loss of use of the left hand.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not meet the criteria for service connection or an increase in rating for most of his conditions.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional review of new evidence. Higher staged ratings are still at issue.

The Veteran is granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) for the entire period of appeal, beginning January 15, 2002. Additionally, SMC at the housebound rate was granted from June 23, 2015 through June 18, 2017.

The Veteran's appeals for higher ratings for her service-connected right and left ankle disabilities, as well as her right and left knee disabilities, have been denied. The rating for the right foot disability has also been denied.,A separate rating of 10 percent under DC 5261 is granted for the period since January 27, 2022, for the service-connected right knee disability.

The Board has granted service connection for left and right ankle disabilities, as well as bilateral knee disabilities. The decision also remanded the claim of an increased rating for a right thumb disability.

The Veteran's right hip and left hip disabilities are being remanded for further examination to determine if they are related to his service-connected right ankle disability.,The Veteran's right knee and left knee disabilities are also being remanded for further examination to determine if they are related to his service-connected right ankle disability.

The Veteran's claims are being remanded due to the need for additional development and examination of her service-connected conditions. The issues include TDIU, a higher rating for an acquired psychiatric disorder, earlier effective dates for service connection, and various other disabilities.

The Veteran's claims for SMC based on the need for regular aid and attendance, as well as his requests to revise effective dates of service connection decisions related to sinusitis, back disability, and left ankle disability are all pending and require further review.,The Veteran is seeking an earlier effective date for the award of service connection for sinusitis. The AOJ must consider whether there was CUE in the October 1985 rating decision that assigned a noncompensable initial rating for sinusitis.,The Veteran also seeks an earlier effective date for his back disability, which was awarded based on CUE in the October 2015 rating decision. The AOJ must review whether there was CUE in this decision as well.,Lastly, the Veteran is requesting a revision of the August 2011 rating decision that granted service connection for his left ankle disability due to CUE. The AOJ needs to determine if there was CUE in this decision.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for rheumatoid arthritis is granted. The Board also grants the Veteran's claim for aggravation of his pre-existing rheumatoid arthritis by service, but remands the issue of service connection for lower extremity conditions other than rheumatoid arthritis.

The Board has remanded the claims for increased ratings for bilateral ankle disabilities and a separate compensable rating or ratings for neurological disability as secondary to bilateral ankle disabilities due to insufficient evidence in the record, including lack of VA treatment records prior to November 2018 and inadequate examination findings.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for right shoulder, left shoulder, right ankle, left ankle, right knee, left knee, low back, cervical spine, and acquired psychiatric disorders (including PTSD) due to a lack of VA treatment records and potential stressor verification.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for additional development and review of new evidence. The issues include service connection for various conditions, including fractures, dermatitis, ankle disabilities, psychiatric disorders, skin conditions, hernias, and eye disabilities.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not preclude him from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation, as his education, skills, training, and work history allow for other types of work.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection of right knee osteoarthritis and left ankle disability. The claim for service connection of a left knee disability was remanded.,There is no evidence of an in-service injury or disease related to the claimed conditions, and the current disabilities are not shown to be related to service.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a right ankle disability, left hand numbness, and low back condition. The Veteran's claim for increased rating of bilateral hearing loss is remanded.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a left ankle disability and initial ratings for bilateral pes planus with left plantar fasciitis and plantar calcaneal spur. The evidence did not support current diagnoses of these conditions.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for GERD, hypertension, left ankle disability, and right ankle disability due to inadequate medical opinions in previous decisions.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of or pain resulting in functional loss for any of his claimed conditions. However, the Board finds that the evidence is in equipoise as to whether the Veteran's left shoulder disorder developed as a result of an injury during service and grants service connection for this condition.