Ankle decisions — 2002

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for calcified tendinitis of the left ankle/calcaneus, finding that any injury in service was acute and transitory with no residual disability.

The Board denied service connection for the claimed disabilities, including right knee disability, left knee disability, back disability, right ankle disability, memory loss, and disabling residuals due to use of medication.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have current disabilities involving a neck strain, plantar warts, cellulitis of the left ankle, or residuals of a crush injury to the left hand. Therefore, service connection for these conditions is denied.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a psychiatric disorder or residuals of a right ankle injury that was incurred in service. The claims are therefore denied.

The Board has determined that the veteran did not incur a right ankle disorder or loss of all teeth due to an injury in service and thus denied both claims.

The veteran's nonservice-connected disabilities, including left ankle fracture with internal fixation, chronic lower back pain, cervicalgia, and presbyopia, do not render him permanently and totally disabled as defined by VA regulations for pension purposes.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a current right ankle disorder and therefore, service connection for a right ankle disorder as secondary to residuals of a left ankle sprain is denied.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims of service connection for various conditions, including arthritis of the right and left knees, bilateral pes planus, lung disability, right and left ankle disabilities, lipoma of the left arm and cyst/boil of the neck (claimed as secondary to radiation exposure), right shoulder and left shoulder disabilities, and right and left wrist disabilities. The claims were denied on the basis that there is no competent medical evidence linking these conditions to service or a service-connected disability.

The Board denied service connection for scoliosis of the lumbar spine, a low back disorder, residuals of a right ankle fracture, a right thigh disorder, a right hip disorder and PTSD.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for an increased evaluation for his right ankle disability, currently rated at 20 percent. The evidence did not support a higher rating based on marked ankle disability or limitation of motion.

The Board found that the veteran died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, and his death was due to depression caused by primary alcohol abuse disorder. The service connection for the cause of death is denied as there is no evidence linking the veteran's manic-depressive/bipolar disorder to his military service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected residuals of a left ankle fracture warrant a 10 percent evaluation, which is the maximum schedular rating available for this condition.

The veteran's thoracic spine strain syndrome was incurred during military service.,There is no evidence to support the claim of a lumbar spine disability being incurred during military service. However, resolving doubt in favor of the veteran, mild valgus instability and tenderness over the medial collateral ligament of both knees were found to be related to his military service.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for a hearing before a local decision review officer. The issues are about an increased evaluation for a scar and reopening of a claim for traumatic arthritis.

The Board denied service connection for residuals of a left ankle injury as not well grounded, and on the merits.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for the residuals of a left ankle fracture, finding no evidence of continuity of symptomatology and no medical evidence linking current complaints to an in-service injury.

The Board has granted a 30 percent rating for the veteran's service-connected arthritis of the right ankle, effective February 26, 2001.

The veteran's initial evaluations for his right and left ankle disabilities have been granted at 10%. The evaluation for hemorrhoids remains noncompensable.

The veteran's service-connected left ankle and foot disability is currently rated at 20 percent, effective since January 12, 1998. The claim for a higher rating remains pending.

The veteran's right ankle disability was initially rated as 10 percent from September 23, 1997, to February 16, 2000. From February 17, 2000, the rating increased to 20 percent.,The low back disability was initially rated as noncompensable and granted a compensable evaluation of 20 percent effective February 17, 2000.