Ankle decisions — 2023

The Veteran's unauthorized medical expenses at JFK Medical Center in Atlantis, Florida on February 1, 2016 were reimbursed as the treatment was for an adjudicated service-connected disability and the services rendered were for emergency treatment of a condition that would have been hazardous to life or health if delayed.

The Board has remanded the case due to an inadequate VA examination, requiring a new evaluation of the Veteran's ankle and foot disabilities.

The Veteran's right ankle disability is rated at 20 percent from November 7, 2022. The right knee disability is rated at 10 percent.

The Board has remanded the claims for right and left ankle disabilities due to insufficient evidence. The Veteran's representative requested a second hearing, which was denied as no good cause was provided. Further development is needed to determine if the Veteran has current right and left ankle disabilities related to her service.

For the period prior to May 6, 2022, an initial evaluation of 40 percent for lumbar DDD was granted.,The appeal regarding right wrist and right ankle disabilities is remanded.

The Veteran's claims for increased evaluations of his left ankle, lumbar spine, right knee, and left knee conditions have been denied. The highest schedular ratings available under the applicable rating criteria are already in place.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for lumbar spine strain, cervical spine strain, and left ankle strain due to insufficient examination reports. The Veteran testified about flare-ups of his conditions but the examiners did not account for this in their assessments.

The Board has dismissed the Veteran's appeals for increased disability rating, service connection claims, and TDIU based on his withdrawal of appeal.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for residuals of a right hand and ankle injuries due to insufficient responses to the Veteran's lay statements regarding continuity of care.

The Veteran's left knee and ankle disabilities have not met the criteria for a higher rating than 10 percent under applicable VA regulations.,The Veteran's left knee disability, despite chronic pain with flare-ups, has been found to retain near full range of motion. The left ankle disability does not meet the criteria for a higher rating due to lack of instability or frequent episodes of locking.

The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's service-connected left knee and left ankle disabilities, including a request for increased ratings and whether new evidence supports reopening a right ankle fracture claim. The VA will conduct examinations to assess current disability levels and provide an SOC on the reopened issue.

The Veteran's left ankle impingement syndrome is rated at a 10 percent disability rating effective April 28, 2015. The Board found that the symptoms most closely approximated moderate limitation of motion of the ankle.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's left ankle achilles tendonitis does not warrant a rating in excess of 10 percent, as his symptoms do not meet or approximate the criteria for a higher evaluation under the applicable rating schedule.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various hand, wrist, and knee conditions are being remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions regarding the relationship between her current diagnoses and her military service.

The Board has remanded the claims for additional development due to new evidence added to the record since the last Supplemental Statement of the Case.

The Veteran's appeal for an increased rating of the left ankle disability and TDIU was granted. The decision also remanded one issue related to TDIU, and denied another issue regarding a previous period of TDIU.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss and ankle disabilities due to outstanding records and need for additional medical opinions.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims for service connection for axonal peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper extremities, right ankle disorder, and right knee disorder. However, these claims are still being remanded as VA is required to provide a medical examination to determine if there is a nexus between the current disabilities and the in-service events.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate medical opinions regarding whether the Veteran's left ankle disability is aggravated by his service-connected right ankle fracture.

The Board has granted service connection for right and left ankle disorders, finding that these conditions are secondary to the Veteran's service-connected lumbar spine disorder.