Ankle decisions — 2024

The Veteran's appeals were dismissed due to his death. No service connection decisions were made.

The Veteran is granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) effective June 6, 2018. The TDIU was determined due to the service-connected disabilities preventing him from securing and maintaining substantially gainful employment.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to a need for a VA examination to determine if the Veteran's pre-existing left ankle disability was aggravated by his service.

The Veteran's hypertension is not shown to meet the criteria for a compensable rating.,Service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are denied as there is no evidence of current disability or in-service incurrence.,Service connection for right ankle and left ankle disabilities is denied due to lack of continuity of symptomatology since service.,The Veteran's right and left ankles were not shown to have been injured during service, nor did they develop to a compensable degree within one year post-discharge.

The appeals for service connection claims related to degenerative arthritis of the spine, residuals of broken left ankle, and tinnitus have been dismissed due to the Veteran's death.

The Board dismissed all claims for increased ratings as the Veteran did not timely file a notice of disagreement with the May 2018 rating decisions granting service connection and individual evaluations for left ankle effusion, right ankle effusion, right foot fracture, scapholunate advance collapse of the left wrist, and degenerative arthritis of the spine.

The Veteran's TDIU rating, which included his PTSD, knee, and ankle conditions, was granted. The Board found that the granting of SMC based on housebound status should be restored because there is a factual question regarding whether the Veteran was housebound.

The Veteran's painful surgical scars of the right ankle and left knee have been granted a 10 percent disability rating.

The Board has decided to remand the cases for additional development and clarification of the Veteran's claims. The issues include right ankle, swollen joints (including rheumatoid arthritis and nerve damage), and initial compensable evaluation for service-connected bilateral hearing loss.

The Board has determined that additional relevant VA treatment records should be obtained and considered as part of the remand process. The Veteran is advised to provide any private or federal medical records in their possession.

The Veteran's death was not due to his service-connected conditions, and the cause of death (end stage renal disease) is not related to his service. The criteria for DIC benefits were not met.

The Board has remanded the case for further development to determine the severity of the Veteran's right ankle disability prior to November 13, 2021, and to address his entitlement to a TDIU prior to October 1, 2019.

The Veteran's claim of service connection for bilateral ankle disability is being remanded due to the need for additional medical examination and records review.

The Board has decided to remand the claim for service connection of a left ankle disorder due to new and relevant evidence submitted by the Veteran.

The Board has determined that new evidence was received to warrant readjudicating the Veteran's claims for service connection. The claims are being remanded due to inadequate examination reports.

The Board has determined that additional medical examinations and opinions are needed to properly adjudicate the Veteran's claims for service connection due to potential pre-decisional errors in previous VA examinations.

The Board has granted service connection for left ankle, right ankle, left knee, and right knee disabilities based on the Veteran's reports of symptom onset during service.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection due to pre-decisional duty to assist errors. The claims will be reconsidered with new examinations.

The Veteran withdrew all issues on appeal, including those for bilateral flat feet, left shoulder impingement, right shoulder impingement, right knee strain (also claimed as lower leg condition), left Achilles tendinitis (also claimed as ankle condition), abnormal kidney function, benign neoplasm of skin right lower eyelid, bilateral presbyopia/hypermetropia with right eye retina lattice degeneration and round hole, chronic asthma condition, chronic fatigue syndrome, hyperlipidemia, left knee strain (also claimed as lower leg condition), and ventral hernia.

The Board has decided to remand the claim for service connection of a left ankle disorder due to new and relevant evidence submitted by the Veteran.