Ankle decisions — 2009

The Veteran does not have any of the claimed conditions as a result of his service. His claims for service connection are denied.

The Veteran's chronic right and left knee arthritis, as well as his chronic right and left ankle arthritis, were all found to have originated during active service.

The Veteran's claims for increased evaluations of his left ankle disabilities were denied. The Board found that the residuals of a penetrating injury to the left ankle did not meet criteria for an evaluation in excess of 10 percent, and the left ankle bony impingement with arthritis also did not warrant an increase beyond 10 percent.

The Board found that the Veteran's residuals of a right ankle injury were not incurred in or aggravated by military service and may not be presumed due to any incident thereof.

The Board has granted service connection for left lateral femoral cutaneous neuropathy, finding that the Veteran's current symptoms are related to a motor vehicle accident in service. The issue of entitlement to service connection for a left ankle disability is dismissed as the Veteran withdrew his appeal.

The Board found that the Veteran does not have a current left ankle disability and denied service connection for this condition. The claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for lumbar spine degenerative disc disease/degenerative joint disease was also denied.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected right foot disability with ankle strain warrants a 10 percent rating, as his symptoms do not meet or approximate criteria for a higher evaluation.

The Veteran's service-connected lateral instability of the left ankle with peroneal tendonitis is currently rated at 20 percent, and the Board finds that a higher rating is not warranted.

The Board found that the Veteran's preexisting left ankle disorder did not worsen during service, and thus denied his claim for service connection.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his right ankle and left knee disabilities have been denied as the evidence does not support a higher disability rating.

The Veteran's claimed joint pain and arthritis of the left ankle are not service-connected as they are not shown to be related to his active service or a service-connected disability.

The Veteran's appeal has been dismissed as the appellant withdrew their appeal prior to a decision being made.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's endometriosis and bilateral ankle/foot disabilities were incurred during her active service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further examination and opinion regarding his claimed low back, bilateral knee, and bilateral ankle disabilities. The case will be returned to the Board after this additional development.

The Board found no evidence of current disabilities related to the Veteran's claimed conditions and denied his claims for service connection.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's left ankle disability was incurred during his service and granted service connection for this condition.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral ankle disability and found that new evidence supports this claim. The Board also determined that there is no current diagnosis of a bilateral ankle disability, and thus denied service connection for this condition. Service connection was granted for an acquired psychiatric disorder (claimed as 'nervous condition'), specifically post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

The Board has remanded the case for additional development to determine if the Veteran's low back and left ankle disorders are related to his service-connected right foot and ankle disabilities, and whether he has a current psychiatric disorder that is related to his period of active service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right heel, right ankle, and back disabilities are related to his active service.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn, and the case is dismissed.