Ankle decisions — 2009

The Board has determined that the Veteran's left ankle disorder and left plantar fasciitis are service-connected, while his right ankle disorder is not. The skin condition of the feet with cracking feet issue was withdrawn by the appellant.

The Board found no evidence of a pre-existing bilateral ankle, knee, or hip disability that was aggravated by service. The Veteran's pes planus is not considered to have been permanently worsened during service.

The Veteran's claims for PTSD, chronic back pain, and hypertension were denied. The claims for a left arm burn and right ankle sprain have been reopened.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development and examination.

The Board denied the Veteran's application to reopen his claim for service connection for disability of the left lower extremity, finding that no new and material evidence had been submitted.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to the RO for scheduling a videoconference hearing.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unable to secure or maintain substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied. The Board found that the left ankle disorder was secondary to a service-connected right ankle disability, pes planus was not incurred during active military service, and other claimed conditions did not meet the criteria for service connection.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right ankle disability is not related to his active service and instead resulted from a work-related injury many years after service. As such, the claim for service connection is denied.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling examinations.

The Board has granted service connection for a left ankle condition, finding that the Veteran's current diagnosis of mild osteoarthritis is related to his in-service injury.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claimed left elbow, knee, and ankle disorders did not manifest during service or for many years thereafter. The evidence does not support a finding of in-service injury or disease resulting in chronic disability or persistent symptoms.

The Veteran's left ankle disability is manifested by limitation of motion that more nearly approximates marked impairment, and the assigned rating of 20 percent adequately reflects this.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including arteriosclerotic heart disease with myocardial infarction, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and gastritis, peptic ulcer disease, insomnia, right ear hearing loss, left ear hearing loss, headaches, shortness of breath or respiratory disease, circulatory insufficiency of the legs and feet (peripheral vascular disease), bilateral ankle edema, blurry vision, and gout were denied as there is no evidence linking these conditions to service.

The Board denied service connection for the Veteran's claimed conditions, finding that they were not related to his military service and did not arise from herbicide exposure in Vietnam.

The Board found no evidence of a current diagnosis of a bilateral knee condition or right ankle arthritis, and thus denied the Veteran's claims for service connection.

The Veteran's nonservice-connected disabilities do not meet the criteria for special monthly pension based on need for aid and attendance of another person or housebound status.

The Board found that the appellant does not have qualifying service for VA non-service-connected pension benefits and denied his claims for service connection for arthritis of both knees, arthritis of both ankles, and bilateral hearing loss.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining service treatment records and providing notice to the Veteran regarding his increased rating claim.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have been evaluated, and the appeal is denied as there are no new or material issues to reopen. The current evaluations for each condition remain unchanged.