Ankle decisions — 2023

The Board has remanded the claims for a VA examination and medical opinion to determine the nature and etiology of the Veteran's right arm, ankle, and foot disabilities. The issues are related to service-connected conditions.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to inadequate VA examinations and further development is needed. The Veteran's vision, right ankle, left ankle, bilateral hearing loss, and hypertension are all under review.

The Veteran's vertigo is granted as service-connected. An initial compensable rating for the abdominal scar is denied, but a separate 10 percent rating for painful scar as of February 8, 2022, is granted. Service connection for dyspnea (claimed as asthma), right shoulder condition, bilateral pes planus, left knee condition, and right ankle condition are all remanded.

The Board has dismissed the appeals for right shoulder scar, bilateral knee disability, low back disability, and bilateral ankle disability. The appeal for sleep apnea is remanded.

The Veteran's right and left ankle fractures with degenerative arthritis are currently rated at 10 percent, but the evidence does not support a higher rating from October 16, 2017 to May 20, 2018. The reduction in ratings was proper as of May 21, 2018.

The Board has remanded the claims for left-knee patellofemoral syndrome and left-ankle strain due to deficiencies in VA examinations, including lack of specification on whether range-of-motion measurements were taken in a weight-bearing or non-weight-bearing position. The TDIU claim is also remanded as part of this appeal.

The Veteran's right knee instability is rated separately from April 26, 2022, but no earlier. The issue of a higher rating for the disability remains pending.,Other issues related to the Veteran's right ankle and lumbosacral strain are still under review.

The Veteran's right ankle disability rating was reduced from 20% to 10%, but the reduction is void ab initio. The appeal to restore the 20% rating is granted, effective November 1, 2018.

The Board has granted service connection for headaches as secondary to PTSD. The claims for back and neck disabilities, diabetes mellitus, erectile dysfunction, hypertension, right ankle disability, left ankle disability, and tinnitus are remanded.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for left knee and right knee conditions have been denied. The Board has determined that additional development is needed for the claims of service connection for left ankle and right ankle conditions.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals for the claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, bilateral foot disorder, pulmonary embolism, hernia disorder, right upper lung lymph nodes, and right upper lung calcified granuloma.,The claim for left ankle disorder was reopened due to new evidence received since the March 2017 rating decision.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD, and has remanded his claims for service connection for left knee disability, right knee disability, right ankle disability, and left ankle disability.

The Veteran's GERD is granted an increased evaluation to 60 percent, effective from the date of the decision. The claim for service connection for a left ankle condition remains pending and remanded.

The Veteran's right foot/ankle disability and bilateral shoulder disabilities are being remanded for further development. The OSA claim is also being remanded due to insufficient evidence.,Service connection for the right foot/ankle disability, OSA, and bilateral shoulder disabilities will be reconsidered based on additional medical opinions.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for additional development due to insufficient medical opinions and evidence of record.

The Veteran's service-connected right ankle disability and associated scars do not preclude him from securing or following substantially gainful employment.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for higher ratings for his bilateral pes planus with plantar fasciitis, left ankle strain/instability, and left shoulder tendinosis. The case is remanded for further development regarding the left ankle strain/instability issue.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is currently assigned a noncompensable evaluation.,Service connection for the right knee disorder, left arm disorder, left ankle disorder, and right ankle disorder are all denied.,Service connection for diabetes, back disorder, shoulder disorder, TBI (head injury) with memory loss, neck disorder, hypertension (high blood pressure), cerebral vascular accident (CVA, strokes), headaches, and PTSD is also denied.,The Veteran's vision loss was not found to be related to service.

The Veteran's petition to reopen claims for service connection for left ear hearing loss, right ear hearing loss, a left knee condition, a right knee condition, a left ankle condition, and a right ankle condition were granted. The claim of service connection for PTSD was dismissed due to lack of credible supporting evidence.

The Veteran's combined service-connected disabilities have rendered him unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation since August 9, 2018.