Ankle decisions — 2023

The Board has granted service connection for a left ankle lateral collateral ligament sprain and tendonitis, and has denied an increased rating for the Veteran's right elbow disability.

The Board has remanded the claims for financial assistance in acquiring specially adapted housing, special home adaptation grant, and financial assistance in the purchase of an automobile or adaptive equipment due to their interrelation with the claim for a TDIU based on service-connected disabilities other than PTSD with insomnia disorder.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations and opinions regarding his claimed conditions.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical opinions regarding left ankle instability and the impact of service-connected disabilities on employment.

The Board has denied service connection for the Veteran's left ankle condition and remanded the cases of his bilateral kidney condition and prostate cancer due to conflicting medical opinions and need for additional development.

The Board denied service connection for hyperlipidemia, lymphoma, left and right ankle disorders, left and right knee disorders, and a skin disorder on the right collar bone to include a skin lesion and melanoma due to lack of evidence of these conditions during or within one year after service. The Veteran's presumptive exposure to herbicides in Vietnam did not result in any of these conditions.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings of his bilateral knee disabilities, left and right ankle Achilles tendonitis, and left ankle fracture are being remanded due to inadequate VA examinations. The Veteran is entitled to new VA examinations to assess the current severity of his conditions.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for cervical spine, lumbar spine, left ankle, and right ankle disorders due to incomplete examination results. The Veteran will need to reschedule his examinations or telehealth interviews.

The Board has determined that the VA examinations conducted in September 2022 were inadequate and did not comply with the remand directives. Therefore, the claims for service connection are being remanded again to obtain new medical opinions.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for bilateral hand, knee, and ankle disabilities as well as his psychiatric disorders due to inadequate examination and opinion. Additional examinations are needed to address these issues.

The Veteran's claim for a right ankle disability is denied as there is no evidence of a current disability during or proximate to the pendency of the claim.,The Veteran's claim for tension headaches is granted as they are secondary to his service-connected PTSD.

The Board has remanded the cases for further action due to incomplete information regarding the qualifications of the VA examiners who conducted the ankle examinations. The TDIU claim is also being remanded as it is intertwined with the other issue.

The petition to reopen entitlement to service connection for a left ankle condition and a back condition is granted.,Entitlement to service connection for bilateral knee conditions, hearing loss, social anxiety disorder, right and left ankle conditions, a back condition, a bilateral lower extremity vascular condition, and tinnitus is denied.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings of his severe left and right ankle sprains prior to March 16, 2022 are granted. The claims for increased ratings since March 16, 2022 are denied. The case is remanded for further development regarding entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU).

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection for right ankle and right knee disorders due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the onset of these conditions during or related to his military service.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection for various disabilities have been dismissed due to the Veteran withdrawing his claims during a Board hearing.,The Veteran's appeals for service connection for right ankle, left knee, and right hip disabilities are remanded for further development.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for a left ankle disability and for TDIU due to his service-connected right ankle disability. The remand requires obtaining updated VA treatment records, identifying any pertinent evidence, scheduling an in-person examination if needed, and providing medical opinions on whether the Veteran's left ankle disability is related or caused by his military service and/or his service-connected right ankle disability.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for residuals of a traumatic brain injury (TBI) is granted, and the claims to reopen service connection for thoracolumbar spine disability, left hand disability, left shoulder disability, right shoulder disability, left knee disability, right knee disability, and right ankle disability are also granted.

The Veteran's left ankle disability is now rated at 20 percent for the period beginning October 27, 2022. The Veteran's painful scars on her left ankle are not service-connected and thus do not warrant additional evaluations.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims of service connection for tinnitus and right ankle disability due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.