Ankle Board decisions

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right hand and wrist tenosynovitis is not currently shown, and thus service connection for this condition cannot be granted.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including consideration of a recent VA examination and issuance of a Supplemental Statement of the Case (SSOC).

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including a new VA examination to assess the severity of his left ankle disability and further consideration of his TDIU claim.

The Board has determined that a new examination is needed due to the conflicting opinions regarding the Veteran's right ankle disability and its relationship to service. The issues of entitlement to service connection for both the right and left ankle disabilities are being remanded.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including a new VA examination to assess the current severity of her right knee and right ankle disabilities. The TDIU claim will also be deferred until the increased rating claims are adjudicated.

The Veteran's appeal for an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for PTSD is denied. The appeal seeking a TDIU rating was withdrawn by the Veteran's representative.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of bilateral hip or ankle disabilities and thus, service connection cannot be granted for these conditions.

The Board has remanded the case due to the Veteran not being provided with a hearing in Florida as requested. The appeal is now pending for further action.

The Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates have been denied as the earliest date of receipt of a claim is not prior to the assigned effective dates.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection for left foot cellulitis with a surgical scar and right ankle tendonitis have been denied as there is no evidence of current disabilities or chronic conditions.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have current diagnoses of left ankle, cervical spine (neck), or back disabilities. Therefore, service connection for these conditions cannot be granted.

The Veteran's appeal was denied for service connection claims and initial disability rating claims. The Board found no evidence of a current left shoulder disorder, and the issues concerning bilateral hand disorders, left wrist disorders, mechanical low back pain with mild joint facet arthropathy, postoperative residuals of a fracture of the right wrist, right wrist surgical scar, and left ankle sprain were not addressed due to lack of service connection claims. The Veteran's appeal is denied.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hip, right ankle, and left wrist disabilities due to a lack of evidence linking these conditions to service or an undiagnosed illness.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining updated VA and private treatment records, scheduling a new VA examination to assess the severity of his left ankle disabilities, and readjudicating his claims based on the evidence.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including bilateral hearing loss, right hip bursitis, left hip tendonitis, right and left knee patellofemoral syndrome, and residuals of a chipped right elbow, combine for a rating of 50 percent or more. The combined rating is at least 70 percent, meeting the criteria for TDIU.

The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied as he did not provide evidence of a current disability or link to service. The Board found no evidence of undiagnosed illnesses or medically unexplained multisymptom illnesses.

The Veteran's claim for an evaluation in excess of 20 percent for service-connected chronic left ankle strain status post injury/laceration is being remanded due to the inadequacy of a previous VA examination. A new examination is needed to assess the current severity of the disability, including any functional loss due to pain and flare-ups.

The Veteran's right ankle disability has been rated at 20 percent since October 28, 2015. The Board found that the current rating adequately reflects his symptoms and limitations.

The Board denied service connection for lumbar spine disorder, migraine headaches, and right ankle disorder. The Veteran's claims were not supported by competent evidence of a current disability related to service.

The Board granted an initial evaluation of 10 percent for the Veteran's service-connected right ankle sprain with degenerative changes and laxity, effective April 20, 2009. The effective date was not specified as there is no earlier claim record found.