Ankle Board decisions

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various upper extremity and lower extremity disabilities, including those related to his service-connected left foot joint pain, right foot joint pain, and lumbosacral strain, have been denied due to the Veteran failing to report for scheduled VA examinations without good cause.

The Veteran has been unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation as a result of his service-connected disabilities since December 21, 2013. The Board grants TDIU from December 21, 2013 to July 26, 2018.

The Board has found that the Veteran's service records are incomplete and remands for further efforts to obtain these records. The issues of service connection remain on appeal.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including bilateral ankles, knees, and back, have rendered him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment throughout the period on appeal. As a result, his claim for TDIU is granted.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error, requiring new examinations and opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's right ankle sprain with degenerative joint disease.

The Board denied service connection for various foot, ankle, hip, and knee disorders as well as nerve damage due to a lack of current diagnoses.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for insomnia was dismissed as the Veteran withdrew his appeal.,Service connection was granted for a right foot disability, separate from his service-connected triple arthrodesis. The Board found an additional right foot disability related to service.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to an error in obtaining the Veteran's service treatment records (STRs). The STRs are deemed unavailable and further attempts must be made to obtain them. If they cannot be obtained, a Memorandum of Formal Finding of Unavailability of Service Treatment Records will need to be prepared.

The Veteran claims service connection for a right ankle disability, diagnosed as traumatic arthritis. The Board finds that the evidence is insufficient to decide the claim without scheduling a VA examination.

The Board has remanded the case due to a lack of adequate examination regarding the Veteran's claimed left ankle disabilities, including their onset during service and relationship to any in-service injury.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for right and left ankle conditions, as well as a right knee disability secondary to those conditions. The remand requires obtaining an adequate VA medical opinion that reconciles conflicting evidence of record.

The Veteran's appeal for a higher rating for her service-connected right ankle disability was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a finding of ankylosis in plantar flexion at more than 40 degrees, dorsiflexion at more than 10 degrees, or with abduction, adduction, inversion, or eversion deformity.

The Veteran's irritable bowel syndrome is granted service connection based on direct evidence. The claims for chronic fatigue, sleep apnea, indigestion, cervical thoracic disability, and right ankle disability are remanded.

The Veteran's right foot hallux valgus and tinnitus are granted service connection. The right ankle disability and IBS claims are remanded for further development.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for a bilateral ankle condition, bilateral knee condition, prostate cancer, and hypertension have all been denied as there is no evidence of current disabilities or in-service events that would support these claims.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for limitation of motion of the left ankle and sinusitis due to a lack of current diagnosed disabilities. The case is being remanded for further development, including a VA examination.

The Board dismissed the Veteran's appeals for service connection on multiple conditions due to untimely filing of VA Form 10182.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and increased ratings for tendonitis of the right shoulder, right ankle disability, and right ankle scar. The Veteran does not meet the criteria for a current hearing loss disability for VA purposes.

The Board has granted service connection for a right ankle disability, finding that the Veteran's current condition is etiologically related to his active duty service. The evidence shows multiple ankle injuries during his 20 years of service on multiple installations and or deployments.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for left knee, right knee, and right ankle disabilities due to a lack of evidence showing current disability at any time during or approximate to the filing of the claim.