Ankle Board decisions

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection of a left ankle disability due to lack of current diagnosis and insufficient functional impairment.

The Veteran's appeal for increased ratings on ten issues has been dismissed due to his withdrawal of the appeal.

The Veteran's right foot disability is granted with a 20% rating. The claims for higher initial ratings for cerebellar tonsillar ectopia, service connection for acute strain of the right ankle, and service connection for shingles are REMANDED.

The Veteran's left ankle disability and obstructive sleep apnea are remanded due to duty-to-assist errors. The VA will obtain medical records for the Veteran's ankle ligament repair, provide a new opinion on the etiology of his left ankle disability, and address whether his service-connected lumbar spine disability could have contributed to his obesity, which may be an intermediate step in establishing secondary service connection for sleep apnea.

The Veteran's rhinitis is not rated higher than the current 10 percent rating.,A 40 percent rating for left sciatic nerve disability is granted. The Veteran's right ankle and right knee conditions are remanded to determine if they are secondary to service-connected disabilities, and a sleep apnea claim is also remanded.,The Veteran's right ankle condition may be related to his service-connected left ankle condition, but further examination is needed to confirm this. His right knee condition is also remanded for similar reasons.,His right knee condition may be related to his service-connected left knee condition, and a sleep apnea claim is also remanded.,The Veteran's sleep apnea may be related to his service-connected rhinitis, but further examination is needed to confirm this.

The Veteran's appeal for an increased rating for left ankle residuals has been withdrawn by his attorney, resulting in the dismissal of this case.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation as of April 1, 1999. Effective dates for TDIU and DEA benefits are granted.

The Veteran's appeal involves multiple issues related to his right knee disability, including instability and limitation of flexion. The Board has remanded these issues for further development.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral knee and ankle disabilities were denied in a December 2006 rating decision. The Veteran filed new claims on July 14, 2011, which were denied again in November 2015. The Board found the December 2017 VA Form 9 was timely received, granting service connection for bilateral knee and ankle disabilities effective March 19, 2018. The Veteran's claims are now remanded due to a lack of adequate examination regarding his bilateral knee flare-ups.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for left ankle, right ankle, and left hip conditions to obtain additional medical opinions regarding their etiology in relation to the Veteran's service-connected bilateral foot disability.

The veteran has withdrawn the appeal for service connection for anxiety, depression, left shoulder, right ankle, and right knee.

The Board denied the veteran's appeal for higher initial ratings for left and right ankle deltoid ligament sprains, as the evidence did not support a rating greater than 10 percent.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various orthopedic disabilities, finding that there is no evidence of a current disability or a causal relationship to service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a right ankle disability, finding that the preexisting condition clearly and unmistakably existed prior to service and was not aggravated by an in-service injury.

The Board has denied service connection for degenerative disc disease, compression fracture T6 and T10 and left ankle sprain as the evidence does not support a nexus to service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been dismissed as the evidence does not support a finding of in-service onset or continuity of symptoms for any of the claimed conditions.

The Veteran's service connection claims for thoracolumbar spine, right and left knee, and right and left ankle disabilities are being remanded due to errors in duty to assist.

The Board denied service connection for the Veteran's left ankle condition, finding that it was not aggravated by military service.

The Board has remanded the case due to an inadequate VA examination, specifically regarding the range of motion measurements in weightbearing and non-weightbearing conditions for the left ankle disability. The Veteran's claim will be returned for a new examination.

The Board denied service connection for a bilateral eye condition and an initial rating in excess of 70 percent for PTSD, while remanding multiple other claims related to various disabilities.