Ankle decisions — 2009

The Board denied service connection for arthritis of the cervical spine, right shoulder, wrists, hips, and left ankle; carpal tunnel syndrome of the right wrist; degenerative joint disease (arthritis) of the lumbar spine to include residuals of surgery; and residuals of a left knee contusion to include arthritis.

The Board denied service connection for a right foot or ankle disorder as there was no evidence of an in-service injury, and the current disability was not related to any incident during service.

The Board denied service connection for a bilateral foot disorder, a bilateral ankle disorder, and obsessive compulsive disorder as there was no evidence of these conditions during service or within the relevant time frame, and no nexus to service was shown.

The Board found that the evidence submitted since the previous denials was not new and material, thus denying both claims of entitlement to service connection for a bilateral ankle disability and a psychiatric disability (claimed as bipolar disorder).

The Board remands the appeal for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling a VA examination.

The veteran's claims for service connection for asbestosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a left arm and shoulder disorder, a right ankle disorder and foot sprain, and right arm radiculopathy were denied. A higher initial rating for the service-connected bilateral sensorineural hearing loss was also denied.

The Board denied service connection for right foot and ankle disabilities as they were not shown to be related to the veteran's active duty service.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for right ankle disability as there was no evidence of a chronic disability during service or continuity of symptomatology after service, and the current condition is less likely related to an in-service injury.

The veteran's claims for service connection for various bilateral foot, ankle, hip, knee, and low back disorders are being remanded for further development.

The veteran withdrew his appeal for service connection claims related to bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, essential hypertension with coronary stenosis, neuropathy, left ankle arthritis, right ankle arthritis, left wrist arthritis, left foot arthritis, right foot arthritis, arthritis of the back, left knee arthritis, right knee arthritis, headaches, and loss of part of the stomach and large intestines.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for low back disability, left ankle disability, bilateral leg disability (including peripheral neuropathy), and psychiatric disability (PTSD and depression) as there was no evidence of a current disability or a link to service.

The Board denied service connection for a right shoulder disorder, lower back disorder, left ankle disorder, and sinusitis as the evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were related to the veteran's military service.

The Board denied service connection for left ankle disorder, right ankle disorder, and bilateral leg pain as there was no evidence of a current disability or continuity of symptomatology since service. The claim for low back disorder was withdrawn by the veteran.

The appeal is being remanded to the RO for additional development, including a new VA examination.

The veteran's service connection claims for right shoulder degenerative joint disease, right knee degenerative joint disease, and right ankle degenerative joint disease were granted.

The veteran's claims for higher initial ratings and service connection were denied as the evidence did not support a finding of current disability related to his claimed conditions during active service.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for cervical spine, low back, and lower right leg and ankle disabilities as there was no evidence that these conditions were related to his military service.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a left ankle condition and a right knee condition due to lack of evidence showing current disabilities related to service.

The veteran's claims for service connection for a right ankle disability, left knee disability, and insomnia were denied as there was no evidence of current disabilities related to his military service.

The appeal is remanded for further development, including the scheduling of a proper VA examination and obtaining any outstanding medical records.