Ankle Board decisions

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, lumbar spine disability, left and right knee disabilities, and ankle strains, precluded him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation from December 10, 2009 to March 11, 2012. A TDIU was granted for this period.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been reopened, and the case is being remanded to obtain additional medical records and to provide a VA examination.

The Board has withdrawn the appeal of service connection for a prostate disability and has remanded several other issues related to various disabilities, including cervical spine, lumbar spine, shoulder, hip, knee, ankle, foot, upper extremity, lower extremity neuropathies, and an acquired psychiatric disorder. The Veteran's claims are now pending again with the RO.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals for all listed conditions, resulting in the dismissal of these claims.

The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as service-connected.,The appeal for sleep apnea has been rendered moot by the grant of service connection in a previous decision.,Initial disability ratings for left and right ankle disabilities are remanded due to lack of adequate medical examination addressing functional loss during flare-ups and repetitive use over time.,Service connection for residuals from nerve agent exposure is remanded as there is insufficient evidence regarding the etiology of these conditions.,Service connection for lumbar spine disability, secondary to service-connected bilateral ankle disabilities and acquired PTSD, is remanded due to lack of a medical opinion addressing causation or aggravation by service-connected disabilities.,Service connection for obesity (as an intermediate factor leading to back condition) is not addressed in the decision.

The Veteran's petition to reopen claims for service connection for right pinky boxer's fracture residuals, right hand scar, left ankle condition, left knee condition, and right knee condition have been granted.,Service connection has also been granted for tinnitus.

The Veteran's service-connected posttraumatic headaches and arthritis of the cervical spine, thoracolumbar spine, and left ankle rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation since his retirement in October 2009.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including his back, knees, and neck conditions, have rendered him unable to secure or maintain substantially gainful employment. The Board has granted TDIU from November 5, 2015.

The Veteran withdrew the appeal for the issues of service connection for a right ankle disability and a left ankle disability, which were dismissed.

The Board has dismissed the appeals for an effective date earlier than February 18, 2022 for the grant of a 100 percent rating for coronary artery disease and entitlement to a TDIU due to administrative errors. The Veteran's appeal for a higher rating for left ankle fracture is dismissed.

The Veteran's appeal was dismissed due to his death before the Board could hear his case. The claims for service connection and TDIU are moot as he died during the pendency of these appeals.

The Board has determined that new and relevant evidence has been received to reconsider the Veteran's claims for service connection for various injuries. The claims are now remanded for further review.

The Board has remanded the claims for increased ratings for patellofemoral syndrome of the right knee with dystrophic calcification of the inferior patella, right knee instability, and a right ankle disability due to inadequate VA examinations in denying the claims. The issues are now pending again before the Board.

The Veteran's bilateral knee and left ankle conditions are remanded for further development, including VA examinations to determine the nature and etiology of these disabilities.

The Veteran's left ankle disability is currently rated at 20 percent, effective March 29, 2011. The rating has been increased from a noncompensable rating.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD is granted. The Board also remanded the claims for service connection for various musculoskeletal and respiratory conditions, including those related to Persian Gulf service.

The Board has dismissed all claims as the appellant died during the pendency of the appeal.

The Board has denied service connection for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and remanded the issues of service connection for bilateral knee, left ankle, and left shoulder disabilities. The case is now being returned to the AOJ for further development.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for an increased rating for her left tibia-fibula fracture with ankle involvement and TDIU due to the need for a new examination addressing flare-ups, as well as the inappropriateness of denying TDIU based on her employment status.

The Board has remanded the cases of service connection for left knee, right knee, and left ankle disabilities due to incomplete service treatment records from the Veteran's Reserve service period.