Citation Nr: 18151504
Decision Date: 11/20/18	Archive Date: 11/19/18

DOCKET NO. 15-04 299
DATE:	November 20, 2018
REMANDED
Entitlement to service connection for a right ankle condition is remanded.
REASONS FOR REMAND
The Veteran served honorably during the Gulf War Era.  The Veteran served on active duty in the United States Army from August 2005 to December 2005, from July 2006 to November 2007, and from January 2010 to February 2011.
1. Entitlement to service connection for a right ankle condition is remanded.
The Veteran’s service treatment records are absent of complaint or treatment for a right ankle condition.  Indeed, the Veteran does not state that he sought treatment in service.  However, the Veteran maintains that his current right ankle pain began while in service upon returning from Afghanistan in 2010.  He states that he tried over-the-counter medications and inserts for his shoes over the next couple of years and ultimately bought a new pair of running shoes as a last resort in 2013.  It was then that he sought medical treatment for his ankle condition for the first time. 
The Veteran’s post-service treatment records reflect that he has been diagnosed with right lateral ankle pain and right posterior tibial tendinitis with early posterior tibial tendon dysfunction.  Additionally, the Veteran is competent to report in-service right ankle pain.  As the low threshold of McClendon has been satisfied, the Board finds that the Veteran should be afforded a VA examination to address the nature and etiology of his claimed right ankle condition.  See McClendon v. Nicholson, 20 Vet. App. 79 (2006).
The matter is REMANDED for the following action:
1. After obtaining any necessary releases, obtain any outstanding VA and private treatment records pertinent to the Veteran’s claim.
2. Thereafter, schedule a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of any right ankle condition.  The entire claims file should be made available to and reviewed by the examiner.  Any indicated tests and studies must be accomplished and all clinical findings must be reported in detail and correlated to a specific diagnosis.  Based on the examination and review of the record, the examiner should:
(a.) Note all right ankle disabilities diagnosed during the appeal period (from July 2013).  
(b.) For each right ankle diagnosis, the examiner should provide an opinion as to whether it is at least as likely as not (50 percent or greater probability) that the condition was incurred in service or is otherwise related to the Veteran’s service.
The examiner must consider the Veteran’s statements regarding the onset of his ankle pain in 2010.
A complete rationale for all opinions should be set forth and a discussion of the facts and medical principles involved would be of considerable assistance to the Board.

 
Lindsey M. Connor
Acting Veterans Law Judge
Board of Veterans’ Appeals
ATTORNEY FOR THE BOARD	A. Stuedemann, Associate Counsel