Ankle Board decisions

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development of his medical records and consideration of his claims.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims due to inadequate examination reports and incomplete extraschedular consideration. The case will be returned for further development.

The Board denied service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, a low back disorder, and right knee and ankle disorders. The Veteran's claims were not supported by sufficient evidence to establish the required medical diagnoses or link between current conditions and military service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's back and right ankle disabilities are not related to his service-connected left ankle disability, and therefore denied both claims.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right ankle disorder was not present during service and is not related to a service-connected disability. The claim for service connection is denied.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a heart disorder and an increased rating for migraine headaches. The Veteran was not granted service connection for his claimed conditions, and no effective date is assigned as the ratings are denied.

The Board denied the reopening of a claim for service connection for residuals of a left ankle injury, finding that new and material evidence had not been submitted to support the claim.

The Veteran is currently assigned a 20 percent rating for his right ankle injury residuals.,A separate 10 percent rating has been granted for the right knee, status post meniscectomy. A higher 20 percent rating is warranted from September 8, 2016.,Right knee DJD is rated at a 20 percent since September 8, 2016 and prior to that date, it was rated as 10 percent.,A separate 10 percent rating has been granted for the right knee instability from March 5, 2012.

The Veteran's left ankle disability, characterized by avulsion fracture and arthritis with instability, has been rated at the maximum allowable under current criteria. The Board finds that there is no evidence of ankylosis or other conditions warranting a higher rating.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal concerning the issues of entitlement to compensation under 38 U.S.C.A. � 1151 for headaches, a neck disability, a head injury, and a right elbow disability, and for entitlement to an increased rating for a disability of little finger on the right hand.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development to determine the etiology of his left ankle, upper gastrointestinal, and dermatitis conditions.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain a more contemporaneous examination of his right ankle condition and to ensure that all relevant treatment records are associated with the claims file.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development to address the claims of service connection and rating for his disabilities, including bilateral hearing loss, right elbow epicondylitis, recurrent muscle strain of the lumbar spine, residuals of a right ankle strain, residuals of a left ankle strain, and residuals of a cervical spine injury.

The Veteran's left shoulder disability is found to be service-connected due to in-service injury and continuous symptoms since separation.,There is insufficient evidence to establish a direct link between the Veteran's current left ankle disability and his military service.

The Veteran's asthma and ankle disabilities are currently rated at 10 percent each, but the evidence does not support a higher rating.

The Board denied the Veteran's request to reopen his claim for service connection for a right ankle disability, finding that no new and material evidence had been received.

The Veteran was granted increased ratings for his cervical spine disability and bilateral shoulder and ankle disabilities. The right and left elbow disabilities received a combined rating of 40 percent since June 13, 2014.,Effective October 15, 2014, the Veteran's neck disability was rated at 30 percent, his bilateral ankle disabilities were each rated at 20 percent, and his right shoulder and left shoulder disabilities were each rated at 30 percent. The ratings for his bilateral elbow and hand disabilities remained at 10 percent.,The Veteran received a TDIU effective October 15, 2014.

The Veteran has effectively lost use of his lower extremities due to service-connected Parkinson's disease, and is therefore eligible for specially adapted housing. The claims for service connection for diverticulitis and an earlier effective date for Parkinson's disease have been withdrawn by the Veteran.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation since May 1, 2015. The Board finds that the preponderance of evidence shows he was currently precluded from obtaining and maintaining such employment due to his service-connected conditions.