Ankle Board decisions

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for further development due to her failure to attend scheduled VA examinations and because of her inability to provide current contact information. The claims are related to service connection for various disabilities, including right knee disability, loss of feeling in the right side of face, left knee disability, and right ankle disability.

The Veteran's service connection claims for PTSD, right ankle disability, right knee disability, left knee disability, and right shoulder disability have been granted.,The VA has provided compensation for these disabilities resulting from disease or injury incurred in or aggravated by service.

The Board has granted service connection for residuals of bilateral chondromalacia patella and bilateral degenerative arthritis and lateral collateral ligament sprain of the ankles, finding that these conditions are related to service.

The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's service connection claims, including for left ankle arthritis, sleep apnea, right and left knee disabilities, left hip arthritis, lumbar spine disabilities, and PTSD with TBI.,No effective date was assigned as all claims were remanded.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for a right foot condition and a right ankle condition due to insufficient medical opinions addressing the Veteran's lay assertions about his in-service injuries.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for back, right hip, and left knee disabilities due to new evidence received since the last final decisions.,A claim for toenail fungus on the right foot is also being remanded.

The Veteran's right ankle disability is currently rated at 20 percent for limitation of range of motion, but the Board has determined that additional remand is required to obtain substantial compliance with the April 2022 remand directives.,The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for residuals of right ankle injury remains pending and requires further examination.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development of evidence, including obtaining private treatment records and VA treatment records.

The Veteran's lumbar strain with degenerative joint disease was rated at 20 percent prior to July 9, 2021 and at 40 percent thereafter. The right ankle condition was rated at 10 percent prior to October 3, 2017 and at 30 percent from March 1, 2018. The Veteran's chronic bronchitis with asthma was rated at 10 percent prior to July 9, 2021 and at 30 percent from July 9, 2021 to January 30, 2022.,The Board denied the claims for increased disability ratings as the evidence did not meet the criteria for higher ratings under the applicable rating criteria.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for his left knee condition, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between his current left knee condition and his military service or any service-connected disability.

The Veteran withdrew his claims for an evaluation higher than 10 percent for a right knee strain and an evaluation higher than 10 percent for a status post right ankle strain and fracture, resulting in the dismissal of these appeals.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's left ankle condition. The Veteran is required to provide a new opinion from an appropriate examiner.

The Veteran's application to reopen his claims for service connection for headaches, left ankle disability, right ankle disability, and low back disability has been granted.,The Board is remanding the cases of headaches, left ankle disability, and right ankle disability for further development.

The Veteran's left ankle fracture residuals are currently rated at 20 percent, but the Board has determined that a higher rating is not warranted based on the evidence of record.

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 claims for service connection for various knee, back, shoulder, ankle, foot, hip, fibromyalgia, acid reflux with nausea, erectile dysfunction, and chronic fatigue syndrome have been denied as new and relevant evidence has not been presented to support these claims.,Specifically, the Board found that there is no medical evidence linking any of these conditions to service or any other related factors.

The Board has granted service connection for the right-ankle condition but has remanded the claim for the right-knee condition due to insufficient evidence.

The Board has decided to remand the cases for further development due to insufficient examination and medical opinions regarding the Veteran's bilateral ankle conditions, including during flare-ups. The TDIU claim is also inextricably intertwined with these issues.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate medical opinions regarding whether the Veteran's bilateral ankle disabilities are secondary to his service-connected varicose veins.

The Veteran's right and left ankle disabilities are currently rated at 20 percent each, effective from the date of the remand order.,Both ankles have been found to exhibit marked limitation of motion due to swelling, instability, chronic pain, functional loss, and flare-ups.