Ankle decisions — 2010

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are found to be as likely as not attributable to acoustic trauma in service.,The Veteran's tinnitus is found to be as likely as not attributable to the same etiology as his bilateral hearing loss.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal regarding the propriety of apportionment of VA benefits, and thus the Board does not have jurisdiction to review it.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have current diagnoses of right or left ankle disabilities and therefore, service connection for these conditions cannot be granted.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected peripheral neuropathy of the right lower extremity and degenerative joint disease of the right ankle are being remanded to allow for additional examinations and consideration.

The Veteran's increased rating claims for posttraumatic arthritis of the left and right knees have been denied as there is no evidence that the disabilities are service-connected or related to any exposure basis.

The Veteran's service-connected left ankle disability is currently rated at 20 percent, and his right knee chondromalacia is rated at 10 percent. The appeal for increased evaluations remains pending.

The Veteran's arthritis of the lumbar spine, shoulders, hips, knees, ankles, and feet was not manifested in service or within one year postservice. The Board finds no evidence to support a nexus between his service-connected diabetes mellitus and his claimed disabilities.

The Veteran's claim for initial compensable evaluation for bilateral hearing loss has been granted, with a rating of 10 percent. The claims for reopening service connection for postoperative degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine and left shoulder disorder have also been granted. Service connection for vertigo is denied. The right hip arthritis claim remains pending as it was not addressed in this decision. The right knee arthritis and right ankle disorders are both rated at 20 percent.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a left leg disorder and a left ankle disorder on a secondary basis to his service-connected arthritis of the right great toe with hallux rigidus was denied. The Board found that there is no diagnosed disability of the left leg or left ankle, and thus, service connection cannot be granted.

The Veteran's service-connected post-traumatic arthritis of the left ankle is currently rated at 20 percent, which is the maximum schedular rating available for marked limitation of motion. A separate 10 percent rating has been granted for instability of the left ankle.

The Board found no evidence of a current disability in any of the claimed conditions and concluded that there was insufficient medical evidence to link any of the Veteran's disabilities, including his ankle and leg problems, to service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development to determine if his foot-related symptoms are related to his service-connected bilateral calcaneal stress fractures.

The Board found no current diagnoses of the claimed conditions and thus denied all service connection claims.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for degenerative arthritis of the bilateral hips and ankles have been denied as there is no diagnosed condition in either hip or ankle joints.

The Veteran's right ankle sprain disability is currently rated at 10 percent, but the Board finds that a higher rating is not warranted for any period of time.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining SSA records and scheduling examinations to assess his neck, back, hips, knees, shoulders, and ankles.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for a right ankle disability, an initial compensable evaluation for lumbar degenerative disc disease L4-L5 with spondylolisthesis, and increased rating for residuals of dislocation, scar, and degenerative joint disease, right shoulder were denied. The Veteran was granted an initial 10 percent evaluation for his lumbar degenerative disc disease L4-L5 with spondylolisthesis.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a back disability is denied as there is no competent evidence of a current disability. Claims for right ankle, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus disabilities are pending.

The Board denied service connection for gout and a left ankle disability, as well as an increased evaluation for right patellofemoral syndrome.

The RO denied increased ratings for the appellant's right shoulder, wrist, knee and ankle disabilities.,The evidence did not meet the criteria for higher disability ratings.