Ankle decisions — 2022

The Veteran's appeal for service connection on multiple issues has been remanded due to insufficient evidence. The Board will gather more information and may grant or deny the claims based on new evidence.

The Veteran's right ankle fracture residuals have been rated at 20 percent from May 24, 2001 to February 6, 2005, January 2, 2007 to February 5, 2008, and December 30, 2012.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for bilateral ankle, low back, and bilateral knee disabilities due to conflicting opinions from VA examiners regarding direct and secondary service connection. Additional medical records are needed to support or refute these claims.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings for left knee and left ankle disabilities have been dismissed due to his death. The Board has no jurisdiction to adjudicate these claims as the appeal is not about service connection, but rather a request for higher disability ratings.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection are remanded due to a lack of VA examinations and outstanding treatment records. The Veteran is also being asked to provide releases for any correctional facilities where he was incarcerated, as these records may contain relevant information.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate examination report, specifically regarding pain and functional loss in repeated use over time.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for right knee, right ankle, and left ankle disabilities due to lack of evidence showing a relationship between these conditions and service or any service-connected disability.

The Board denied service connection for a right ankle disability, finding that the Veteran's current condition is not related to his active service and there was no chronic injury or condition shown during service.

The Veteran's chronic kidney disease is caused by his service-connected hypertension. The Board has granted the claim for service connection for chronic kidney disease, secondary to service-connected hypertension.

The Veteran's appeals for pneumonia, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, and hemorrhoids have been dismissed. The appeal to reopen his psychiatric disorder claim has been granted. The remaining claims are remanded due to new evidence.

The Board has granted service connection for right shoulder AC joint osteoarthritis, left knee osteoarthritis, and left ankle osteoarthritis as these conditions are found to be related to active duty service.

The Veteran's increased rating claims and claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder are remanded due to the need for new VA examinations. The TDIU claim is also remanded as it may be impacted by these other claims.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for right ankle and right shoulder disorders due to a lack of current diagnoses related to these conditions, and insufficient evidence linking them to his military service.

The Veteran's combined disability rating is 100 percent, and he meets the schedular criteria for a TDIU. However, there is no evidence that any single service-connected condition prevents him from maintaining substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's appeals regarding service connection for various conditions have been dismissed.,An increased rating in excess of 70 percent for PTSD has been denied.

The Veteran's vertigo and back disorder were not shown as chronic in service, did not manifest to a compensable degree within the applicable presumptive period, and continuity of symptomatology was not established. The Board denies these claims.,The Veteran's GERD is not secondary to his service-connected psychiatric disability or related to an in-service injury or disease. The Board denies this claim.,The Veteran's headaches were not shown as chronic in service and did not manifest to a compensable degree within the applicable presumptive period. Continuity of symptomatology was not established, nor is there evidence linking the current condition to an in-service injury or disease. The Board denies this claim.,The Veteran's right ankle disorder, left ankle disorder, right foot disorder, left foot disorder, right hand disorder, right hip disorder, and left hip disorder were not shown as chronic in service and did not manifest to a compensable degree within the applicable presumptive period. Continuity of symptomatology was not established, nor is there evidence linking the current conditions to an in-service injury or disease. The Board denies these claims.,The Veteran's right knee disorder and left knee disorder were not shown as chronic in service and did not manifest to a compensable degree within the applicable presumptive period. Continuity of symptomatology was not established, nor is there evidence linking the current conditions to an in-service injury or disease. The Board denies these claims.,The Veteran's neck disorder was not shown as chronic in service and did not manifest to a compensable degree within the applicable presumptive period. Continuity of symptomatology was not established, nor is there evidence linking the current condition to an in-service injury or disease. The Board denies this claim.

The Board has decided to remand the service connection claim for right ankle arthritis due to new evidence received since the last denial. The Veteran's lay statements and in-service treatment records support his claim of a current disability related to an injury during active duty.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not render him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment during the appeal period, leading to a denial of his claim for total disability rating based upon individual unemployability.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for left knee, left ankle, bilateral foot, and headache disabilities. The reasons given were that there was no evidence showing these conditions were incurred or aggravated by his time in service.

The Board has granted a 20 percent rating for the Veteran's right ankle disability, effective August 24, 2009. The decision finds that the Veteran's symptoms of marked limitation of movement qualify him for this rating.