Ankle Board decisions

The Board has decided to remand the case for additional development due to incomplete examination reports and need for further medical opinions regarding the service connection of the veteran's knee, tibia, and ankle conditions.

The Board has determined that additional searches for the Veteran's service treatment records and National Guard/National Reserve records are necessary, as well as an attempt to obtain hospitalization records from 1984. The VA examiner who conducted the June 2012 VA ankle examination is requested to provide a medical opinion regarding whether any current bilateral ankle disability including arthritis is related to disease or injury in active service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling a VA examination to assess the severity of his service-connected left knee, bilateral plantar fasciitis and pes planus, and traumatic arthritis of the left ankle.

The Board finds that the evidence is at least in equipoise as to whether the Veteran's left ankle arthritis is caused by his service-connected right knee DJD. As a result, the claim for secondary service connection for left ankle arthritis is granted.

The Board has granted service connection and assigned a 10 percent rating for the Veteran's left shoulder disability, effective May 29, 2008. Service connection was also granted for hypertension, right ankle, left ankle, right foot, and left foot disabilities, all of which are considered direct service connections based on evidence from service records.

The Veteran's left ankle disability is found to be etiologically related to his active service, and therefore service connection for this condition is granted.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection of a right ankle disorder, finding that there was no evidence linking his current condition to his active military service.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for a closed fracture of the right ankle, lateral malleolus is denied as he failed to report for a necessary VA examination without good cause shown.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral foot and ankle conditions are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining missing service treatment records and VA treatment records.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for bilateral foot and ankle arthritis, and his bilateral knee disabilities.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a right ankle disorder and prostate cancer was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a finding of direct service connection for either condition.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD with bipolar disorder was granted, effective April 13, 2012.

The Board has reopened the claims for service connection for joint pain, loss of hand grip and muscle weakness, fatigue and swelling of body parts, and memory loss. However, it is not granted as these conditions are not found to be related to active service or an undiagnosed illness.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have precluded him from obtaining and maintaining a substantially gainful occupation since July 20, 2010.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right ankle disability is not related to service or a service-connected condition, and therefore denied his claim for service connection.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn, and the case is dismissed due to lack of pending claims.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral ankle disabilities are not related to his active service and therefore denied the claims for service connection.

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to a lack of participation from the Veteran's appointed representative, Texas Veterans Commission.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including obtaining Workers' Compensation records and a VA examination addendum opinion.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating than 10 percent for his left knee disability, and denied his claims for right ankle and right foot disabilities.