Ankle decisions — 2008

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have degenerative joint disease of the left hip, left ankle, right knee, or depression that is attributable to military service. The veteran's claimed disabilities are found to be secondary to his service-connected left knee disability.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a right knee, right ankle, or right foot condition that is service-connected. The evidence shows that her current conditions are related to injuries she sustained after separation from active duty.

The veteran's claims for increased evaluations for residuals of fractures of the right ulna, radius, scaphoid, and hamate fourth metacarpal bones, neurapraxia of the right hand median nerve, and status post fractures of the distal third of the right tibia and right fibula with ankle involvement have been denied.,The RO found that the veteran's conditions do not warrant an evaluation in excess of 10 percent for each condition.

The Board denied service connection for hip, knee, foot, ankle, hand, and left shoulder disorders. The Board found that the veteran's current respiratory disorder is related to his military service in Korea.

The veteran's claim for service connection for osteoarthritis of the right ankle is being remanded due to conflicting medical opinions and the need for additional development.

The Board denied increased disability ratings for the veteran's service-connected degenerative disease of the right and left ankles, finding that the available schedular evaluations were adequate to cover his disabilities.

The veteran's claim for service connection for a right ankle disability, which is secondary to his service-connected left knee instability with degenerative arthritis and scars, has been remanded due to the need for additional medical records.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral pes planus, osteoarthritis of the left ankle, heart disorder, cellulitis of the left foot, and anxiety reaction due to a lack of evidence showing these conditions were incurred or aggravated by military service.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection of a right ankle disorder and compensation under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151 for gastrointestinal disorders, finding no new and material evidence to reopen the right ankle claim and concluding that the veteran's current gastrointestinal condition was not caused by VA treatment.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not meet the criteria for a compensable rating in any of his service-connected conditions, including right ankle strain, neuropathy of the right thigh, and seasonal allergic rhinitis. As such, his claims are denied.

The Board denied service connection for left ankle and left foot disability, granted a 10 percent evaluation for the scar of the right foot, and denied evaluations in excess of 10 percent for peptic ulcer disease with gastritis and gastroesophageal reflux disease (gastrointestinal disability) and residuals of an exostectomy of the right foot.

The veteran has withdrawn his appeals for the denial of service connection for a rash of the left ankle and lumbosacral strain.

The Board denied service connection for a low back disorder and a right ankle disorder, finding that there was no evidence of current disabilities or in-service incurrence.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims of service connection for prostate cancer, malignant melanoma, thoracic spine disorder, and broken left ankle as they are not shown to be causally related to his period of active military service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's death was not caused by or related to premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) noted during service, and therefore denied the claim for service connection for the cause of the veteran's death.

The veteran's residuals of a right ankle fracture are directly related to his service-connected bilateral pes planus, and he is entitled to a temporary total disability rating for convalescence following surgery.

The Board has determined that the veteran's arthritis of the feet, ankles, toes and hips is not related to his service-connected bilateral chondromalacia patella.

The veteran's claims for increased evaluations of her low back strain with arthritis, cervical spine strain/sprain, and bilateral ankle sprain/strain were denied by the Board. The conditions are rated based on their current manifestations without any presumption or secondary service connection.

The VA denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected left and right ankle sprains, finding that the current schedular criteria do not warrant a rating in excess of 20 percent.

The Board has remanded the case due to a need for additional medical examination and consideration of whether anticoagulant therapy used to treat service-connected post-phlebitic syndrome contributed to the veteran's fatal intra-cerebral hemorrhage.