Ankle Board decisions

The Board has determined that the appellant's current right ankle, right hip, and right leg disabilities are not related to his military service. The claim for service connection is denied.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeals regarding the issues of entitlement to service connection for a bilateral ankle disability, a bilateral knee disability, a low back disability, benign prostatic hypertrophy with urinary obstruction, and gout. The Board does not have jurisdiction to review these claims as they are dismissed.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for updated VA examination and Social Security Administration records.

The Veteran's right thumb sprain is characterized by a gap of more than two inches between the thumb pad and the fingers, with pain, inflexibility, tenderness, swelling, and stiffness. The Veteran's right ankle sprain residuals are characterized by marked limitation of motion of the ankle. A disability rating of 20 percent for each condition has been granted.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development of her claims, including obtaining VA medical records and private medical records from Dr. White and Dr. Witte.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection were granted. The TDIU claim was also granted prior to February 6, 2008.

The Veteran's claims for increased evaluations of his service-connected right knee, left knee, right shoulder, and right ankle disabilities have been denied. The RO found that the evidence did not support a higher evaluation based on functional impairment or additional limitation due to pain.

The Veteran's adjustment disorder is rated at 30 percent, the highest schedular rating available. His lumbar spondyloarthropathy status post L5 disc surgery is currently rated as 20 percent disabling. The Veteran's tinnitus is already assigned a maximum schedular rating of 10 percent. For his right ankle arthroplasty and left knee osteoarthritis, the current ratings are 20 percent for the right ankle and 10 percent each for the left knee. His right knee osteoarthritis is rated at 10 percent. The Veteran's TDIU claim has been granted.

The Veteran's service-connected postoperative residuals, fracture left ankle with hardware has been rated at 10 percent since May 12, 2010. Since then, the disability has progressed to include osteoarthritis of the left ankle, warranting a higher rating.

The Veteran's bilateral ankle disability is found to be related to his service, specifically the prolonged marching and combat operations in Iraq. Service connection for this condition is granted.

The Veteran's claims of service connection for various disabilities have been denied multiple times, and new and material evidence has not been submitted in all cases. The Board finds that additional development is needed to determine the nature and etiology of his current disabilities.,The Veteran's claims of service connection for various disabilities have been denied multiple times, and new and material evidence has not been submitted in all cases. The Board finds that additional development is needed to determine the nature and etiology of his current disabilities.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for various disabilities, including hearing loss and tinnitus, as well as his claims for other conditions. The effective dates assigned were December 20, 2010.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for additional development to obtain medical records and conduct examinations to determine if his left ankle disability and acquired psychiatric disabilities are related to service.

The Veteran is rendered unemployable as the result of service-connected disabilities and has been granted a TDIU.

The Veteran's unauthorized medical expenses for follow-up care after his left ankle surgery were not authorized in advance by VA, and the Board finds that he did not meet the criteria for reimbursement under applicable laws.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings of his service-connected ankle and wrist disabilities were denied. The right and left ankles are currently rated at 20 percent, while the left wrist and forearm disability is also rated at 20 percent.

The Veteran's left and right ankle disabilities are currently rated as 30 percent and 20 percent, respectively. The Board finds that the evidence does not support a higher rating for either disability.

The Veteran's combined disability rating is 40 percent, which does not meet the schedular requirements for a TDIU. However, his service-connected disabilities do not result in unemployability without regard to advancing age.

The Veteran's appeal is granted, with a combined disability rating of 80 percent for ankylosing spondylitis and associated lower extremity disabilities. The issues of increased ratings for limitation of abduction of the bilateral hips and sensory deficit of the bilateral lower extremities are addressed in the remand portion.

The Veteran's initial claim of a higher rating for his right foot and ankle disability was granted, with an effective date of August 17, 2010. The current evaluation is 10 percent disabling.