Ankle decisions — 2023

The Board has remanded the claims for hypertension and left ankle strain due to insufficient medical opinion regarding their relationship to service.

The Veteran's claims for higher evaluations of his service-connected major depressive disorder, left foot crushing injury, and left ankle tendonitis are being remanded to obtain additional medical records and to schedule the Veteran for examinations to assess the severity of these conditions.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's left ankle sprain, finding that it began during active service and resolving any doubt in favor of the Veteran.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's lumbar spine disability. The remaining issues of secondary service connection for various disabilities are remanded due to insufficient evidence.

The Veteran's skin disability is being remanded for a VA examination to determine if it is related to his service and exposure to CARC.,The Veteran's left shoulder disability is being remanded for a VA examination to determine if it is related to his service.,The Veteran's left ankle disability is being remanded for a VA examination to determine if it is related to his service.,The Veteran's right ankle disability, including as secondary to his service-connected right knee disability, is being remanded for a VA examination to determine if it is related to his service and whether it is aggravated by his service-connected right knee disability.,The Veteran's tinnitus is being remanded for an addendum opinion from the April 2016 VA examiner to address whether it is due to military noise exposure.,The Veteran's neck disability, including as secondary to his service-connected right knee disability, is being remanded for a VA examination to determine if it is related to his service.,The Veteran's hip disability, including a secondary to his service-connected right knee disability, is being remanded for a VA examination to determine if it is related to his service.,The Veteran's respiratory disability, including as due to exposure to CARC, is being remanded for an addendum opinion from the May 2016 VA examiner to address whether it is related to his service.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his lumbar spine disability and left ankle condition was denied. The Board found the evidence did not support a higher rating.

The Veteran's initial rating claims for right and left ankle fractures, as well as degenerative arthritis/IVDS of the cervical spine have been denied. The Veteran is currently receiving a non-compensable (zero percent) rating for his service-connected ankle disabilities.

The Board has granted service connection for gout, thoracolumbar spine disability, and left ankle disability. The right ankle disability issue remains pending as it was not addressed in the decision.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the severity of the Veteran's left ankle sprain during the period from May 20, 2014, to November 19, 2019. The Veteran will need to provide measurements taken by his VA providers and a new retrospective opinion is required.

The Veteran's service-connected low back, right ankle, and right femur disabilities are being remanded for additional development to determine their current severity.

Service connection has been granted for degenerative disc disease of the thoracolumbar spine, tendinitis of the left ankle, and a left scrotum condition.,The Veteran's low back disorder is service-connected due to an in-service injury during combat. The left ankle disorder was also incurred during service.

The Veteran's claim of service connection for PTSD, headaches, right ankle disability, left wrist disability, diabetes mellitus type II, and kidney disorder is granted. The effective date for the grant of service connection for PTSD is set at October 9, 2009.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeals for the issues of entitlement to an initial increased rating in excess of 50 percent disabling for bilateral pes planus, entitlement to an increased rating in excess of 20 percent disabling for left ankle disability for the period prior to November 16, 2015, and entitlement to a TDIU for the period prior to May 5, 2015. As a result, these issues are dismissed.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the left ankle disability. The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is denied as there was no evidence of hearing loss during service or thereafter.

The Board has remanded the claims for earlier effective dates for Total Disability Rating Based on Individual Unemployability (TDIU) and Dependent's Educational Assistance (DEA), as well as the TDIU claim, due to procedural errors in the previous decisions.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and TDIU are being remanded due to the need for further development. The lumbar spine strain claim is denied as it does not meet the criteria for a higher rating, while left and right ankle degenerative arthritis claims do not warrant an increase in their current 10% ratings.

The Board has remanded the claims for further evaluation due to insufficient medical opinions regarding whether the Veteran's joint pain and arthritis are related to his service, specifically fuel exposure.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including consideration of a TDIU prior to June 5, 2020.

The Veteran's right ankle strain is rated at 10% and denied for an increased rating. The case was remanded due to the need for a new VA opinion regarding service connection for hypertension, which may be secondary to his service-connected musculoskeletal disabilities.

The Veteran's right ankle strain, tinnitus, and sleep apnea are all being remanded for further development.,Service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability (PTSD) is also being remanded.