Ankle Board decisions

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his cervical and lumbar spine conditions, as well as service connection for neurological damage to the arms and legs, bilateral hip disability, bilateral ankle disability, and osteoarthritis of the knees are denied.,The Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of a bilateral shoulder disability or bilateral hearing loss.

The Veteran's appeal is denied as the Board has determined that there is no evidence of a right leg disability, to include right knee degenerative joint disease, incurred in or caused by military service. The Veteran also did not meet the criteria for an increased rating for his peripheral vascular disease and gout with arthritis.

The Veteran's claim for PTSD was granted with an effective date of August 8, 2011. The Board found that the November 2007 rating decision denying service connection for a left ankle disorder did not contain CUE and denied reopening the claim for a left ankle disorder.

The Veteran's service-connected lumbar spine degenerative disc disease, left ankle disorder, and right ring finger fracture have been granted. The Veteran is assigned a 10 percent rating for his left ankle disorder and no higher ratings are available under the applicable diagnostic codes.

The Veteran's petition to reopen claims for service connection of left and right knee disabilities was granted. The claim for an increased rating for a left ankle sprain remains denied.

The Board has granted service connection for a bilateral ankle condition to include degenerative joint disease of the ankle, but dismissed the claim for service connection for lupus as the Veteran withdrew his appeal.

The Veteran is prevented from securing and following substantially gainful employment as a result of his service-connected disabilities, specifically PTSD and right ankle disability.

The Board has decided to remand the case for a new VA examination and additional development of the record, including obtaining updated VA treatment records.

The Board found that the Veteran's low back, left hip, and left ankle disabilities are not service-connected as secondary to his right knee disability. The VA examiners provided opinions indicating these conditions were more likely caused by non-service connected factors such as leg length discrepancy from a previous femur fracture.

The Board has determined that there is no current left ankle disability and therefore denied the Veteran's claim for service connection.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining a VA examination and medical opinion to assess the Veteran's employability due to his service-connected disabilities. The TDIU claim is currently before the Board.

The Board has found that there is no current diagnosis of a multiple joint disorder affecting the right wrist and bilateral ankles. The Veteran's right knee disability, however, is currently rated as 20 percent disabling.

The Board has determined that there is at least a 50% chance (equipoise) that the Veteran's current right ankle disability is related to an in-service injury, and thus service connection for this condition is granted.

The Board has decided to remand the case for additional development, including obtaining a VA examination and opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's left ankle injury residuals.

The Veteran's left ankle disability was rated at 10 percent prior to January 24, 2014.,From January 24, 2014, the Veteran is entitled to a rating of 20 percent for his left ankle disability.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal, thus the case is dismissed.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection of low back disorder, left knee joint disorder, left leg/ankle disorder, and left knee scar as they were not related to his military service.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claims for service connection for right knee strain, right ankle strain, and left ankle strain. The appeal is now resolved in favor of the Veteran.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's left leg radiculopathy, finding that it is secondary to his service-connected lumbar spine disorder.

The Board has granted a 20 percent rating for the Veteran's service-connected right ankle disability, finding that his marked limited motion of the right ankle warrants this increased evaluation.