Ankle decisions — 2009

The veteran withdrew appeals for service connection for sleep apnea, headaches, skin disorder, asbestos exposure, lung disorder, buttocks injury, arthritis of the dorsal spine (claimed as back, left hand, neck, knees, ankles, and legs), pes planus, refractive error, cystitis, bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome, bursitis, left shoulder, enlarged heart, and compression fracture, T3-8.

The Veteran was granted a 60 percent rating for the prosthetic right knee effective September 1, 2001, but higher ratings are not warranted for other conditions.

The Board concluded that the weight of the evidence is against a grant of service connection for residuals of a frostbite injury in service.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a disability of the wrists, ankles, and knees, claimed as arthralgia, and a skin disability, claimed as secondary to Agent Orange exposure.

The veteran does not have any current disabilities involving his low back, neck, right knee, or ankles.

The Board denied service connection for a left ankle disorder with left foot degenerative joint disease and prostate cancer, finding no evidence of a relationship to the veteran's active military service.

The Board denied service connection for the veteran's claimed conditions, including residuals of injuries to the ankles and feet, a skin disorder affecting the arms and back, a low back injury, and residuals of an injury to the left Achilles tendon, as there was no evidence of these conditions during service or sufficient evidence linking them to service.

The veteran's claim for an earlier effective date was denied as the earliest possible effective date that could be assigned is July 18, 2003, the date of receipt of his claim.

The appeal is remanded to obtain a new medical examination to determine if the veteran has a current left ankle disability related to service.

The Board increased the evaluation for inversion injury of the right ankle, status post open reduction internal fixation with mild strain, from 0 percent to 10 percent effective July 21, 2008.

The veteran's appeal for service connection for Type II diabetes mellitus, hypertension, right wrist arthritis, and residuals of a right leg fracture was withdrawn. Service connection was granted for residuals of a left ankle fracture and right foot calluses.

The veteran's PTSD was rated at 70 percent, and the claims for service connection for tinnitus, diabetes mellitus, type II, a left ankle disorder, and TDIU were remanded.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals for service connection for a cardiovascular disorder, left ankle fracture, and left thumb injury. The appeal was granted for tinnitus as it was found to be related to the Veteran's active duty service. Service connection was denied for hypertension and right knee disorder.

The appeal is remanded for further development, including a new examination to assess the current status of the veteran's service-connected right knee and right ankle disabilities.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for a bilateral foot disorder, finding no evidence of chronic ankle or foot symptoms during service and noting that current mild instability of the ankles was unrelated to incidents of service.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased evaluations for burn scars of both feet, as there was no evidence that either scar caused any functional impairment or other symptoms warranting a compensable evaluation.

The claims for service connection for a bilateral ankle disability, left elbow disability, and cracked left lower molar are being remanded for additional development.

The Board denied service connection for all the claimed conditions as they were not related to an in-service disease or injury.

The veteran's right knee disability does not warrant a rating in excess of 10 percent, and the dysmenorrhea and uterine fibroids are rated at 30 percent.,The veteran has been granted an initial rating of 30 percent for dysmenorrhea and uterine fibroids, status post myomectomy.

The Board remands the appellant's claims for an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for a chronic right ankle sprain and service connection for a left knee disorder, to include as secondary to the service-connected chronic right ankle sprain, for additional development.