Ankle Board decisions

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a right ankle disability as secondary to residuals of a left ankle fracture, entitlement to increased evaluations for his left ankle and right little finger disabilities, and entitlement to an increased evaluation for bilateral hearing loss.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claims of service connection for left foot and left ankle disabilities are not well-grounded, thus denying them.

The Board denied the claims for service connection for left ankle disorder, glaucoma, right ankle disorder, Chopart dislocation of the feet, and claw toes of the right foot. The appellant's application to reopen a previously denied claim for service connection for a left ankle disorder was granted.

The Board has determined that the veteran's traumatic degenerative changes of the left foot and ankle warrant a 40 percent disability rating, effective from the date of the decision.

The veteran's claims for increased disability ratings for his carpal tunnel syndrome, left ankle injury residuals, and right hand scar are being remanded due to the need for additional examinations.

The veteran's claim of service connection for a disability of the ankles and feet (to include consideration of all toes other than the right great toe) is plausible, and his appeal to this extent is allowed. The case is remanded in order to afford the veteran another examination to determine the nature and etiology of any disorders of the ankles and feet.

The Board finds that the veteran's claims for service connection are well grounded, and he has presented credible evidence of current disabilities and a link to his period of active service.

The veteran's claims for increased evaluations of his service-connected right ankle, left ankle, and low back disorders were denied due to failure to report for scheduled VA examinations.

The Board denied the veteran's claims of service connection for pulmonary tuberculosis, right ulnar nerve injury, left eye nevus, and left ankle injury. The effective date was not established as requested.

The Board denied increased evaluations for multiple shell fragment wounds and scars, finding that the conditions did not warrant ratings higher than currently assigned.

The Board found that the veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for hearing loss was not well-grounded. The issue of an increased original evaluation for recurrent subluxation of the right ankle is remanded due to a lack of recent medical examination and further development is required.

The Board has expanded the scope of the claim to include any mental health disorder raised by the record and has remanded for additional development regarding service connection for left leg, ankle, and psychiatric disabilities.

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

The Veteran's service-connected lumbar spine disability is found to cause bilateral hip and ankle pain, resulting in a grant of service connection. The claim for an increased rating for the lumbar strain residuals remains denied.

The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including right shoulder disability, abdominal hernia, GERD, bilateral ankle disabilities, and bilateral foot disabilities. The evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were incurred or aggravated during the appellant's period of active duty.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a left ankle disability and a bilateral foot disability, finding that there was no evidence of an in-service injury or disease related to these conditions.

The Board has remanded the claims for a neurological examination to determine if any diagnosed radiculopathy or other neurological disability affecting the lower extremities was caused or aggravated by service-connected conditions.

The claims are being remanded to determine the current severity of the Veteran's left and right ankle disabilities, including after his December 2017 surgery. The case will be returned for further review.