Ankle decisions — 2023

The Board has granted service connection for right ankle strain and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), finding that the evidence supports these conditions as being related to military service, particularly given the Veteran's Gulf War exposure. The decision is based on positive medical opinions supporting a nexus between current symptoms and service.

The Board has dismissed the appeals for service connection of bilateral hearing loss, bilateral plantar fasciitis, right hand condition, tinnitus, headaches as secondary to head/nose injury, lower back condition, and cervical spine disability due to an error in docketing under the AMA system.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for right hand/finger disability and left ankle disability, finding no current disabilities for VA purposes. The appeal was also remanded for further development regarding BLE scars.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions were denied, and the Board found no basis to assign an earlier effective date.

Your appeal for an increase in the rating for your bilateral ankle disabilities has been dismissed because you and your representative have requested to withdraw the appeal.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals regarding the ratings and service connection for various disabilities, including back disability, bowel incontinence, left foot disability, right ankle disability, left knee disability, right knee disability, left hip disability, and right hip disability.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for various musculoskeletal conditions, including low back pain, neck strain, shoulder strain, hip and knee issues. The reasons include lack of documentation during service, reports of chronic symptoms originating in service, and poor training conditions.

The Board has granted service connection for a right lateral collateral ligament sprain and exostosis dorsal distal talus (right ankle disability) as these conditions are considered to be directly related to the Veteran's in-service injuries.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for right and left knee disabilities, as well as right and left ankle disabilities due to inadequate medical opinions. The AOJ is instructed to obtain new medical opinions addressing the etiology of these conditions.

The Veteran's right ankle disability, which included an ankle fusion surgery in March 2022, has been rated at 20 percent since May 18, 2016. The rating is granted excepting the period of a 100 percent convalescent rating.

The Board has determined that additional development is necessary before the claims for increased ratings and service connection can be adjudicated on the merits. The Veteran's representative requested information about the qualifications of the VA examiners who provided the May 2023 examination reports, June 2023 addendum opinions, and the internal medicine physician's opinion with respect to hypertension.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings and service connection have been dismissed. The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's disabilities, including right hip disability, left hip disability, PTSD, radiculopathy of the upper extremities, rotator cuff tendonitis strain of the shoulder, bilateral feet disabilities, neck disability, back disability, sciatica of the lower extremities, and wrist and ankle disabilities.

The Board has determined that the claims for service connection for left knee, right knee, and left ankle disabilities are remanded due to new evidence received after the September 2008 rating decision.

The Veteran's claim for service connection of a right ankle disability has been granted, and the case is remanded to determine if it should be granted on the merits.

The Veteran's service connection claims for posttraumatic DJD of the right knee with lateral instability, left knee DJD as secondary to service-connected disability, and DJD of the left ankle with instability are all granted.,Service connection is also granted for left lower leg pain. High cholesterol was not found to be a disability subject to service connection.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for diabetes mellitus, left ankle condition, and right ankle condition due to incomplete medical records and inadequate VA examination.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection on the issues of non-specific damage to the heart, circulatory system, cellular DNA damage, and cancers and gene damage have been dismissed due to his withdrawal. The remaining claims are remanded.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to incomplete service records. The Veteran is presumed to have served with the Air Force Reserve, but his periods of active duty and training need to be verified.

The Board denied the Veteran's appeal as his timely VA Form 9 was not received within the required timeframe, resulting in the April 2016 rating decision becoming final.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection for various conditions have been dismissed. The appeal for tinnitus, left ankle disorder, right knee disorder, left foot disorder, and right foot disorder has been withdrawn by the Veteran.,Service connection for IBS was denied prior to February 28, 2018, but a petition to reopen this claim was granted in December 2018. The effective date of service connection for IBS is not earlier than February 28, 2018.