Ankle decisions — 2010

The Board denied service connection for tinnitus, bilateral hearing loss, hemorrhoids (claimed as anal fissures), neck disability, lumbar spine disability, right and left knee disabilities, and right and left ankle disabilities. The Veteran's claims were remanded for further action.

The Veteran's service-connected left and right ankle strains are each manifested by subjective complaints of pain but no objective evidence of limitation of motion or function.,The medical evidence does not support a current diagnosis of a right foot disability.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for service connection of residuals of a head injury, left hip arthritis, left ankle arthritis, and left knee arthritis. The RO granted these conditions effective October 28, 2005.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection on multiple issues, including bilateral knee disability, right ankle disability, diabetes, umbilical and hiatal hernia, and periodontal disease, was granted. The decision also includes a grant of TDIU.

The Veteran's claim for an initial rating in excess of 50 percent for PTSD was granted. However, the Board denied service connection for a right ankle disability.

The Board found that the Veteran's degenerative disc disease with radiculopathy, claimed as a back condition, was not incurred in or aggravated by active service.

The Board has considered and applied both the old and new versions of VA regulations for rating disabilities of the spine, with the most favorable regulation being applied after the effective date of the regulatory change. The Veteran's lumbar spine disability is rated based on limitation of motion under DCs 5285, 5292, 5293, 5294, and 5295.