Ankle decisions — 2024

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for right ankle, left foot, and right foot disabilities due to inadequate medical opinions. The Veteran's current disabilities are being evaluated based on their onset during his honorable service.

The Veteran's claims for increased rating, TDIU, and DEA eligibility are being remanded due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error. The AOJ must obtain the private treatment records from the relevant period.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings were denied, with the exception of a grant of TDIU.,No effective dates earlier than specified in the decision are granted.

The Board has dismissed the Veteran's claims for service connection due to lack of evidence supporting his allegations of disabilities, with some issues being remanded for further review.

The Veteran's claim for payment or reimbursement of the cost of non-VA medical services provided on January 31, 2020 was denied because he did not meet the eligibility requirements under 38 U.S.C. § 1725 and 38 C.F.R. § 17.1002.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right ankle disability was incurred during active service and granted service connection for this condition.

The Board has granted the Veteran's request to readjudicate his claims for service connection for various conditions, including an acquired psychiatric disability and bilateral hearing loss. The remaining issues are remanded.

The Veteran's claims for initial and compensable ratings for scars, right foot and ankle are being remanded due to a duty-to-assist error. The AOJ is instructed to obtain VA treatment records from August 2019 to January 2020 related to the Veteran's right ankle surgery.

The Board is remanding the Veteran's claims for service connection due to incomplete verification of his National Guard service and insufficient medical opinions. The AOJ will obtain additional evidence and conduct further examinations.

The Board has determined that additional medical opinions are needed to address the etiology of the Veteran's bilateral ankle and knee disorders, as well as their relationship to his military service. The case is being remanded for these purposes.

The Board has denied service connection for various conditions, including Achilles tendon disability, bilateral ankle disability, bilateral carpal tunnel disability, bilateral hip and thigh disability, peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities, peripheral neuropathy of the upper extremities, cervical spine disability, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), rhinitis/sinusitis, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and groin disability. The evidence does not support a finding that any of these conditions began during service or are otherwise related to service.,The Veteran did not provide sufficient information in his claims for the Board to determine if there were any presumptive exposures or other theories of service connection.

The Board has determined that there are no current disabilities of the knees or left ankle, and thus denied the Veteran's claims for service connection.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to an inadequate VA examination for the left ankle disability, and a new examination is needed.

The Board dismissed the appeal of a proposed reduction in disability rating for painful surgical scars, left ankle from 20% to noncompensable (zero%). The Veteran did not file an appeal within one year of receiving notification of the decision.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings have been denied. The Board found no current disabilities for bilateral hearing loss, left wrist disability, right ankle disability, or patellofemoral syndrome of the left knee that meet VA criteria for compensation.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for posttraumatic arthritis, left ankle, was denied as the disability did not manifest marked limitation of motion. A separate 20 percent rating for left ankle instability is granted.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to uncertainty about whether the Veteran's ankle symptoms are manifestations of a medically unexplained chronic multi-symptom illness (MUCMI).

The Veteran's death from Covid-19 is not service-connected as his conditions did not have their onset in service and were not related to any in-service injury or disease, including the service-connected disabilities.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for insomnia, neck disability, plantar fasciitis, right ankle disability, sciatica of the right lower extremity, and sciatica of the left lower extremity as there is no evidence of current disabilities related to service.

The Veteran's right ankle lateral collateral ligament sprain and tendonitis status post Broström procedure, left ankle and foot peroneal longus tendinitis, and right ankle postsurgical scar are all rated at 10%. The service connection for bilateral plantar fasciitis and postsurgical right foot nerve damage is denied.