Ankle Board decisions

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for further development due to inadequate VA examinations and lack of contemporaneous medical records.

The Veteran's appeal has been remanded for further examination and opinion regarding his claims of service connection for a sleep disability, including sleep apnea.

The Board has granted service connection for various musculoskeletal conditions, including right shoulder impingement syndrome, rotator cuff tendinitis and osteoarthritis; right knee iliotibial band syndrome; recurrent ankle sprain residuals; recurrent hamstring disability; bilateral plantar fasciitis; heel spurs; and hip degenerative arthritis. The appeal for service connection for a left hamstring disability has been withdrawn.

The Board has restored a 20 percent rating for the Veteran's right ankle disability from February 7, 2013. The remaining issues have been remanded for further examination and opinion.

The Board denied service connection for right ankle disability and left ankle disability, finding that the evidence did not support a nexus to service or secondary to service-connected bilateral knee disability.,The Veteran's right ankle disability was found to be related to his CMT disease, while his left ankle disability was attributed to his CMT disease as well.

The Veteran's right ankle arthralgia and recurrent inversion ankle sprain are granted service connection, while his left ankle arthralgia is denied.

The Veteran's right ankle disability, including posterior tibiailis and flexor hallucis longus tenosynovitis and deep deltoid ligament partial tear, resulted in a 10 percent initial rating for instability. The appeal was granted from June 27, 2020 onwards.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to incomplete records and need for further medical examinations. The issues include lumbar spine, knee, ankle, colon cancer, kidney disability (chronic renal failure), and Type II diabetes mellitus.

The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, erectile dysfunction, benign prostatic hypertrophy, memory disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, major depressive disorder, lumbar spine disability (chronic low back pain), chronic cervical strain, allergic rhinitis, gastrointestinal disabilities, colon diverticulosis, and degenerative joint diseases of multiple joints. The Board found no evidence to support service connection for any of these conditions.

The Board has remanded the case to issue a supplemental statement of the case addressing all issues related to the claim of an increased rating for residuals, status post repair, of laceration of the left Achilles tendon.

The Veteran's left ankle disability, which has been rated as 10 percent disabling since November 24, 2015, is denied a higher rating due to limited motion not meeting the criteria for a higher rating.

The Board has found the VA examinations inadequate and remanded for further development, including scheduling new examinations to address service connection claims for various foot, ankle, knee, and back disabilities.

The Veteran's right ankle disability, which was initially service-connected in October 2014 and rated at 10% prior to April 23, 2020, is now granted a 20% rating effective from April 23, 2020. The decision also grants TDIU effective January 23, 2020.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for arthritis of the back, hips, legs, hands and ankles, as well as a lumbar spine disorder, are being remanded due to insufficient evidence. The Board finds that additional medical opinions are needed regarding whether these conditions are related to her service or service-connected disabilities.

The Board has granted service connection for a left ankle disability as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected right ankle disability, finding that it is at least as likely as not caused by overuse due to chronic pain in his right ankle.

The Veteran's right shoulder and bilateral ankle disabilities are found to be related to service, while the flatfoot and TBI claims are denied as there is no current diagnosis.

The Board has granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, bilateral hip osteoarthritis, right ankle osteoarthritis, left knee osteoarthritis, and left knee MCL tear. The low back disability claim is being remanded.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for left and right ankle disabilities due to insufficient medical opinions addressing post-service findings of mild osteoarthritis of the bilateral ankles, as well as the Veteran's lay statements regarding onset in service.

The Board has remanded the service connection matters for left and right ankle conditions due to incomplete VA opinions. The TDIU matter is also remanded as it is inextricably intertwined with the service connection issues.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for a tendonitis of the left ankle, finding that her current diagnosis is related to her in-service injury and treatment. The decision also reopened her previously denied claim.