Ankle Board decisions

The Veteran's claims for service connection are mixed, with some issues granted and others not. The Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of irritable bowel syndrome or any other qualifying chronic disability that could be presumed due to undiagnosed illness in the Gulf War environment.

The Veteran does not have a separate and ratable chronic disability of the upper back or right ankle as a result or consequence of disease or injury incurred in or aggravated by his active military service. The Board is remanding the issues for further development.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain new VA examinations for his service-connected PTSD and right ankle arthritis, as there is evidence of worsening since the last evaluations. The Veteran will also be provided with a Supplemental Statement of the Case if his benefits are not granted.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical records and conducting VA examinations. The issues of increased evaluations for left ankle fracture with Achilles tendonitis, low back strain with degenerative disc disease, TDIU prior to February 19, 2009, and DEA benefits prior to February 19, 2009 are being remanded.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including VA examinations.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete information and need for additional examinations. The Veteran's claims will be reconsidered based on the new evidence.

The Board denied service connection for lumbo-thoracic spine disability, left knee disability, and right knee disability as the evidence did not establish a causal relationship between these conditions and the Veteran's military service.,No exposure basis was provided in the decision.

The Board determined that the Veteran's right knee and ankle disabilities were not incurred or aggravated by service, nor are they secondary to her service-connected thoracic spine disability.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed before the claims can be decided. This includes obtaining outstanding VA treatment records, requesting private medical records, and arranging for a mental health examination.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete verification of periods of active duty, ACDUTRA and INACDUTRA. The Veteran's left knee, cervical spine, lumbar spine, and left ankle conditions are all under review for service connection.

The Veteran's recurrent left ankle sprain is caused by the neurological manifestations of his service-connected back disability, and thus he has a separate disability that is proximately due to or the result of his service-connected condition. The Board finds in favor of granting service connection for this left ankle disability.

The Board found that the Veteran's right and left ankle disabilities, as well as his right and left foot disabilities, were not incurred in or related to service.

The Veteran's appeal for increased ratings for his service-connected left hip, left ankle, right knee, and left knee disabilities was denied. The VA found that the current ratings adequately reflected the severity of these conditions.

The Board has granted service connection for low back, right knee, and right ankle disabilities as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected left foot disabilities. A temporary total rating (TTR) for one month following October 30, 2009 surgery on the left foot is also granted.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining updated medical records and scheduling VA examinations to assess the current severity of his right ankle disability, onychomycosis, and right knee disability.

The Veteran's right ankle disability, which is the only service-connected condition at issue, has been rated as 10 percent disabling since October 2009. Effective February 22, 2013, his disability rating was increased to 30 percent due to ankylosis of the ankle in dorsiflexion between 0 and 10 degrees. The Veteran is not entitled to SMC based on need for regular A&A or being housebound.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims due to missing evidence and the need for additional examinations. The Veteran is entitled to a new VA examination to determine the current nature and etiologies of his claimed left hip, back, left and right knee, left and right hand, right ankle, and coccyx disabilities.

The Board has granted service connection for flat feet, bilateral ankle disabilities, and peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities. The effective date for these conditions is September 19, 2006.

The Board has granted service connection for stenosis, spondylolisthesis and degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine and degenerative joint disease of bilateral knees. Service connection was denied for a bilateral ankle disability.