Ankle decisions — 2023

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for various disabilities, including sleep apnea, cervical spine disorder, right ankle disorder, left ankle disorder, right knee disorder, and left knee disorder. The remand is due to insufficient examinations and the need to consider whether the Veteran's reported symptoms are related to his military service or an undiagnosed illness.

The Board has remanded the case due to missing documents and unobtainable VA treatment records. The issues of a higher disability rating for left ankle bimalleolar fracture residuals with degenerative osteoarthritis, and TDIU are being addressed.

The Board has restored the 20 percent rating for the right ankle trimalleolar fracture, but has remanded the issues of a higher rating and TDIU due to new evidence indicating worsening symptoms.

The Veteran's lumbar spine and left ankle disabilities have been restored to their previous ratings, while the right ankle disability remains at a lower rating. The TDIU claim has also been granted.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate medical opinions and a need for further examination regarding the Veteran's bilateral ankle condition, which is claimed as secondary to her service-connected hypertension.

The Board has determined that additional evidence is needed to properly evaluate the Veteran's right ankle disability, and thus remands the case for further development.

The Board has remanded the case due to an inadequate VA examination, and a new one is needed to assess the current nature and severity of the Veteran's service-connected right ankle scar.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and right ankle condition, finding that there is no evidence of a nexus between these conditions and his military service.

The Board has remanded the claim for service connection for a generalized arthritis disorder and degenerative arthritis of the hips, knees, ankles and left shoulder to include as secondary to service-connected lumbar spine sacroiliitis due to incomplete development.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection for left hip, left ankle, and left knee disabilities as secondary to his service-connected right ankle disabilities due to lack of nexus opinions in the November 2015 VA examination reports. The Veteran needs new VA examinations and medical opinions.

The Board has granted service connection for a bilateral foot disability, to include arthritis. The issues of secondary service connection for bilateral knee and ankle disabilities, each diagnosed to include arthritis, and right hip disability, to a service-connected bilateral foot disability are remanded.

The Board has determined that the VA examinations need to be redone due to incomplete testing and additional relevant medical evidence has been added to the file. The appeals for increased ratings for right ankle sprain, right knee strain, and lumbosacral strain are being remanded.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for a right ankle disability and low back disability due to the need for additional medical examinations and records.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for skin cancer and issues involving the effective dates for ratings assigned for left ankle, left leg sciatica, and left hip disabilities evaluated based on limited range of motion on flexion, extension, and abduction have been dismissed.,A 30 percent rating has been granted for a forehead scar from February 11, 2009, and for both the forehead scar and right malar cheek scar from August 20, 2015.

The Veteran's right hip joint replacement is granted as secondary to his service-connected degenerative joint disease of the left knee. The issue of an evaluation greater than 10 percent for degenerative joint disease of the left knee prior to May 13, 2019 and service connection for osteoarthritis of the right ankle are both remanded.

The Veteran's claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) has been dismissed due to the Veteran's failure to submit an updated application form. The Board also remanded other issues related to increased ratings for various knee and ankle disabilities.

The Veteran's claim for TDIU was denied prior to March 17, 2017 due to his service-connected orthopedic disabilities. From March 17, 2017, the Veteran has been granted a TDIU based solely on his service-connected orthopedic disabilities.,The Veteran is now eligible for SMC at the housebound rate since November 22, 2017 due to his combined rating of 100 percent and other service-connected disabilities independently ratable at 60 percent.

The Veteran's appeals for reductions in disability ratings for left ankle tendonitis, right knee patellofemoral pain syndrome with limitation of flexion, and right knee degenerative changes have been dismissed as the Veteran requested to withdraw all her pending appeals.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection of a right hip disorder and remanded the issues of service connection for a right hip disorder, to include as secondary to service-connected right knee, left knee, right ankle, and left ankle disabilities, and for a thoracolumbar spine disability, to include as secondary to service-connected right knee, left knee, right ankle, and left ankle disabilities.

The Board has denied service connection for right ear hearing loss and remanded the claims of cervical spine, right hip, left knee, left ankle, and right ankle disabilities due to lack of evidence supporting current diagnoses.