Ankle decisions — 2006

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings for his left knee, right ankle, and right knee conditions. The issues were secondary to his service-connected torn medial meniscus of the left knee with torn anterior cruciate ligament and chondromalacia.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection and evaluations in excess of 10 percent for various conditions, including left and right knee pain, flat feet, ankle disability, depression, and hip pain. The evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were incurred or aggravated by service.

The veteran's appeal has been dismissed due to his request for withdrawal of the appeal with respect to several service-connected disabilities.,An initial 30 percent rating is granted for migraine headaches, meeting criteria for characteristic prostrating attacks.

The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected right ankle disability warrants a 40 percent rating, reflecting significant functional impairment due to pain, instability, and weakness.

The Board has granted service connection for chronic strain of the right hip, but denied entitlement to increased evaluation for facial acne scars and service connection for right knee and right ankle disabilities.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for back, left foot and ankle, and head/neck injuries. The claim of reopening a previously denied psychiatric disorder was granted but the merits of this claim were not addressed.

The Board has denied the veteran's claim for service connection for a left leg and ankle disorder, finding no competent evidence of current disability related to service.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete information about the veteran's service periods. The AOJ is instructed to verify these periods and then return the case for further review.

The Board has granted service connection for a right hip disability, but denied claims for left knee injury, left ankle disability, residuals of a right hand injury, and carpal tunnel syndrome in the hands. The veteran's current disabilities are not considered to be related to his military service.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for an earlier effective date and a higher rating for his right ankle disability, finding that February 11, 2002 was the appropriate effective date based on when the claim was received.

The Board has determined that the veteran's right ankle disability does not warrant an evaluation in excess of 10 percent, as there is no evidence of marked limitation of motion or other significant impairment.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have PTSD, residuals of a right ankle sprain, left ankle disability, or bilateral osteoarthritis of the knees that are related to military service.

The Board found that the veteran's service-connected left inguinal hernia, status post surgical repair, is not manifested by a recurrent direct or indirect hernia and denied entitlement to a compensable rating. The claim for entitlement to a permanent and total disability rating was also denied.

The Board denied the appellant's claims for service connection for torn ligaments of the right hip, residuals of a fracture of the right lower leg with ankle involvement, and residuals of a tailbone injury. The evidence did not support these claims as they were not linked to service.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including a new VA examination and consideration of the issues on appeal.

The Board has remanded the veteran's claim for service connection of traumatic arthritis in his ankles due to further development being required. The issue is whether this condition is proximately due to, the result of, or aggravated by his already service-connected cavus varus deformity of the right foot with hammertoes.

The Board has determined that the veteran's residuals of a right ankle fracture with traumatic arthritis do not meet or approximate the criteria for an evaluation in excess of 20 percent.

The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected right ankle and low back disabilities do not warrant initial disability evaluations in excess of 10 percent.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection, finding that his conditions did not meet the criteria for higher ratings or service connection under the applicable rating criteria.

The Board has remanded the veteran's claims for service connection and initial ratings for his ankle disabilities and GERD due to outstanding medical records and the need for additional examinations.