Ankle decisions — 2004

The veteran's claim is being remanded due to the wrong issue having been adjudicated. The case will be developed as appropriate for service connection of his left foot disability.

The Board found that the veteran's current complaints of pain, weakness, and loss of range of motion in his right foot and ankle are related to his service-connected soft tissue tumor of the right lower leg and non-service-connected hemiplegia from a cerebrovascular accident. Therefore, the Board denied service connection for a right foot and ankle disability.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded to the Providence RO for scheduling a travel board hearing. The case will be returned to the Board after further development.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development due to a change in the legal standard regarding service connection.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for an increased rating for his service-connected right ankle disability, currently rated at 20 percent.

The Board has granted service connection for a history of a severe sprain with a hairline fracture of the right ankle and assigned a 10 percent disability evaluation, effective from April 16, 1999. The veteran's appeal is now resolved in his favor.

The Board has denied the appellant's attempts to reopen his claims of service connection for migraine headache disorder, personality disorder, and arthritis of wrists, knees, and ankles. The evidence submitted does not meet the criteria for reopening these claims.

The Board has determined that the veteran's current left ankle disorder is not related to his active service, and thus denied his claim for service connection.

The veteran's appeal has been withdrawn by her representative prior to the Board making a decision.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a bilateral ankle disorder and PVD, finding no evidence of current disabilities related to his reported in-service injury.

The Board found no evidence of a chronic left ankle disorder that is related to service or service-connected disability. The veteran's claim for secondary service connection was denied.

The veteran's left tibia fracture with ankle disability and impairment of the peroneal nerve are currently rated at 10 percent, while his bone graft from right iliac crest is also rated at 10 percent. The appeals for increased ratings have been granted.

The Board has decided to remand the case for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling a VA examination.

The Board has granted a 30 percent disability rating for the veteran's right ankle sprain with chronic peroneal tendinitis and traumatic arthritis, effective March 3, 2004.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to VCAA requirements.

The Board found that the veteran's right ankle disorder is not related to service or an incident of service origin and denied his claim for service connection.

The veteran's right shoulder disorder was granted a 20 percent rating, while the other issues remained at noncompensable ratings.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen claims for service connection for hemorrhoids, low back disorder (previously characterized as developmental anomaly of the lumbar spine), hypertension, edema of the feet, ankles, hands, abdomen, and face, diabetes mellitus, abnormal laboratory findings, fibromyalgia, lupus, multiple sclerosis, liver disability (to include cirrhosis), respiratory (lung) disability, osteoarthritis of the major and minor joints, eye disability, tremors of the upper extremities, carpal tunnel syndrome, Meniere's syndrome, headaches with dizziness, nausea, and lightheadedness, chronic Candida, low back pain with pain radiating into the hips (previously characterized as developmental anomaly of the lumbar spine), an acquired hamstring disorder, an acquired bilateral hip disorder, a bilateral knee disorder, and a bilateral elbow disorder. However, service connection is not established for any of these conditions.

The Board has granted service connection for current, chronic knee and ankle disabilities that the veteran claims are related to his military service.

The veteran's claim for an increased rating for residuals of a fracture of the right femur and tibia with impairment of the femoral artery and sciatic nerve and degenerative joint disease of the right knee is granted, resulting in a disability rating of 80 percent. The claims for increased ratings for residuals of a fracture of the left femur with sciatic nerve involvement, due to a shell fragment wound, and for degenerative joint disease of the left ankle are denied.