Ankle decisions — 2008

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have established service connection for any of the claimed conditions, including left ear hearing loss, right hand condition, left hand condition, or left ankle condition.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional VA examinations and the obtaining of medical records to determine the current severity of his service-connected disabilities.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not meet the criteria for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, multiple joint arthritis in additional joints, or a chronic skin disorder. Service connection was denied as no new evidence was provided to reopen these claims.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a current right ankle or right shoulder disability etiologically related to his active service. The claims are therefore denied.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for various disabilities, finding no evidence of current diagnoses or a link to service.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral ankle and foot conditions, finding no current disabilities or evidence of in-service occurrence. Service connection was granted for tumors on the face as aggravated by service.,Tumors on the face were present prior to service but worsened during service.

The veteran's service-connected right ankle disorder is currently rated at 20 percent, the maximum rating available under VA regulations.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate notice provided to the veteran regarding his claims for increased ratings.

The veteran has bilateral ankle degenerative arthritis which is related to service. The Board grants the benefit of doubt in favor of the appellant and finds as fact that the veteran's current bilateral ankle disability is related to his service.,The veteran's headaches are related to his service-connected cervical spine disability (degenerative disc disease status post cervical diskectomy). The Board grants the benefit of doubt in favor of the appellant and finds as fact that the veteran's headaches are related to his service-connected cervical spine disability.

The Board found that the veteran does not have right ankle sprain, stomach problems, bilateral hearing loss, or tinnitus as a result of service. Therefore, the claims for these conditions were denied.

The Board has determined that the veteran's right ankle disability is related to his service-connected right foot disability, and granted this claim. The bilateral hip and leg disabilities are not found to be secondary to the service-connected right foot disability.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claim of service connection for Charcot Marie Tooth disease/muscular dystrophy, to include a bilateral ankle condition. The evidence shows that the veteran had preexisting Charcot Marie Tooth disease and muscular dystrophy which was aggravated by service.

The VA denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his traumatic arthritis of the right and left ankles, as the evidence did not show that the disabilities more nearly approximated a marked limitation of motion.

The veteran's claims for increased evaluations for right ankle and right knee strain were denied. The RO granted service connection but did not assign any initial compensable evaluation to the right ankle prior to January 19, 2005 or an evaluation in excess of 20 percent from that date. For the right knee, a temporary evaluation of 100 percent was assigned from August 26, 2003 to October 1, 2003 and a 10 percent evaluation was assigned from October 1, 2003 onwards.

The Board has determined that there is no current evidence of a diagnosed heart disorder, left great toe disorder, arthritis in the hands or ankles. Therefore, service connection for these conditions cannot be established.

The veteran's claim for an effective date prior to April 14, 2003, for the grant of service connection for degenerative joint disease of the left ankle is denied.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a left ankle disability and an increased rating for his right knee disability, finding that there was no evidence of a direct relationship to service or secondary to his service-connected right knee disability.

The Board has remanded the case to the RO for additional development, including scheduling a Travel Board hearing.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a left ankle disorder and chronic sinusitis with headaches, finding that there was no current disability and insufficient evidence to support a secondary service connection claim.

The Board has remanded the veteran's claims for service connection due to a lack of development and need for further examination.