Ankle decisions — 2024

The Veteran withdrew his appeals for service connection of left ankle strain, left knee strain, right ankle strain, and right knee strain.

The Veteran's lumbar spine and right ankle disorders are remanded for further examination to determine their etiology.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have rendered him unemployable from November 15, 2018 to January 10, 2020. From January 10, 2020 onwards, he is in receipt of a 100% rating for PTSD with opioid use disorder.

The Board has granted service connection for right and left ankle strains. The Veteran's psychiatric disorder, RLE and LLE radiculopathy, and right and left knee disabilities are remanded due to procedural errors.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for right ankle, left ankle, right foot, and left foot disabilities due to a lack of evidence showing current disability. The claim for lumbar spine disability is remanded as there was no VA examination prior to the February 2020 rating decision.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals for left ankle disability, PTSD rating, and TDIU. The Board dismissed these appeals as the Veteran requested their withdrawal.

The Board has granted service connection for left ankle tendonitis, right ankle chronic sprain, and various foot disabilities (plantar fasciitis, pes planus, and metatarsalgia) as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected left ankle disability. The effective date is not specified.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings for left knee disability, limitation of flexion and instability have been dismissed due to withdrawal.,Service connection has been granted for right hip and right knee disabilities as secondary to service-connected left hip and left knee disabilities.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for a new medical opinion to address the nature and etiology of his bilateral ankle condition, as well as whether it is related to service or secondary to his service-connected bilateral pes planus. The TDIU claim is also deferred due to its inextricability with the primary claim.

The Board has remanded all of the Veteran's claims due to procedural errors and incomplete records, particularly regarding his service treatment records and potential military environmental exposures.

The appeal for service connection of various disabilities, including a left ankle disability and low back disability, is dismissed as moot due to the full grant of these claims in March 2021. The remaining issues were denied.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been remanded due to various pre-decisional duty-to-assist errors, including inadequate medical opinions and examinations.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for chest pain, migraine headaches, sleep apnea, right shoulder disability, and left ankle disability are all denied. The VA will need to provide additional examinations and opinions regarding the relationship of these conditions to service.

The Board has remanded the cases for further examination and opinion regarding service connection for a left ear hearing loss disability, right ankle disability, and an acquired psychiatric disorder.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including his lumbar spine disability and depressive disorder with sleep disturbances, have rendered him unable to secure and maintain a substantially gainful occupation prior to February 11, 2020. The Board has granted entitlement to TDIU based on this finding.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's right ankle condition and low back condition with bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy. The Board also remanded the issues of service connection for his right knee, left hip, and left ankle conditions due to secondary service connection.

The Veteran's right ankle disability, which includes a history of fracture with repair, has been rated at 20 percent since August 25, 2018. The rating is for marked limitation of motion due to pain and swelling during flare-ups.

The Veteran's cervical spine, left ankle disorders (including arthritis), and right shoulder disabilities are granted. The Veteran's left and right ankle disabilities are also granted. However, the claims for service connection for degenerative arthritis of the left and right shoulders remain pending as additional development is needed.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for left and right ankle disabilities due to inadequate medical opinions, lack of substantial compliance with prior Board remand directives, and new evidence associated since the last Supplemental Statement of the Case.

The Veteran's claims for effective dates prior to August 14, 2012, for the increased evaluations of his service-connected migratory arthritis conditions have been denied as it is not factually ascertainable that an increase in disability occurred.