Ankle decisions — 2007

The Board has restored the veteran's 10 percent disability evaluation for bilateral ankle arthritis, effective from November 30, 2001. The claim for a higher rating is denied.

The veteran's claimed disabilities, including bilateral flat foot and toe pain, groin and pelvic pain, left leg disability, sacroiliac joint pain/hip pain, knee disability, and bone deterioration, are not shown to be related to service. The Board finds that the evidence does not support a grant of service connection for any of these conditions.

The Board found that the veteran's current degenerative joint disease of the left ankle was not incurred during service and is not proximately due to or the result of his service-connected stingray bite scar.

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

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for left ankle disability, bilateral hearing loss, psychiatric disability, and bilateral leg disorder due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a current left ankle/foot disability, right ear disability, skin disability, or post-traumatic stress disorder related to service. As such, these claims are denied.

The veteran's request for a refund of the funding fee assessed at the time of his VA loan is denied as he was not receiving compensation at the time of the loan and does not fall under any exempted categories.

The veteran's service connection claim for an undifferentiated somatoform disorder and joint pain was granted, with a rating of 40 percent for herniated nucleus pulposus of the lumbar spine. The issue regarding joint pain remains unresolved.

The Board has determined that the veteran's diagnosed right ankle, right knee, and left knee disabilities are not related to his period of service. The evidence does not support a finding of chronicity or presumption of service connection for these conditions.

The Board found that there is no evidence to support a direct service connection for degenerative arthritis of the left knee. The veteran's current left knee disability is not considered to be caused by or aggravated by his service-connected traumatic arthritis of the left ankle.

The veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for service connection of a right ankle injury was denied as there is no evidence prior to January 28, 1997 that he intended to file such a claim.

The Board has granted a higher initial rating for the veteran's service-connected right ankle disability, currently rated at 20 percent.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for an increased rating for post-operative residuals of right menisectomy and service connection for a right ankle disorder, finding no evidence to support either claim.

The appellant has withdrawn their appeal, and the Board is dismissing it.

The Board found no evidence of a right ankle disability related to service prior to the veteran's right below-the-knee-amputation in 2004, and thus denied the claim for service connection.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to determine the etiology of any current left ankle and lumbar spine disorders, as well as whether service connection should be granted for these conditions. The veteran's address needs to be verified and all appropriate records must be obtained.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected right ankle sprain and chronic low back strain, finding that the evidence did not support a rating in excess of 10 percent.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension, headaches, residuals of a head injury, genitourinary condition, and left ankle condition due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to service.

The Board has granted service connection for a skin disorder and remanded the claim for bilateral ankle disorder to obtain additional evidence.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete development of records and requests for additional information from various sources.