Ankle decisions — 2011

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the Veteran's claims for service connection for headaches, fatigue with insomnia, and left knee disability. The case is being remanded to obtain additional medical records and to schedule the Veteran for VA examinations.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right ankle disorder was not incurred or aggravated during his military service and is not related to any incident of service, including parachute jumping. The evidence does not support a finding of a chronic condition in service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current lower extremity and right ankle arthritis are not related to his service, including any in-service complaints or findings. The VA examiner opined that the Veteran's bilateral knee disability was unrelated to his service.

The Board finds that the Veteran's right ankle disorder is causally related to his service, specifically a right ankle injury in August 1992. Therefore, service connection for this condition is granted.

The Veteran's appeal was denied for a rating in excess of 20 percent for his right ankle disability, with the Board finding that the current level of impairment did not warrant such an increase.

The Board found no evidence to support the Veteran's claims of service connection for a back disability, hepatitis C, and left ankle disability. The VA examiners concluded that these conditions are not related to his military service.

The Board has granted service connection for a right hip disorder, status post fracture of the right pelvis. The Veteran's current right hip disability is found to be related to his military service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining service treatment records and scheduling a VA examination to assess the severity of his service-connected right ankle, lower back, right knee, left heel spur, and cervical spine disorders.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed for the Veteran's claims, including obtaining medical records and scheduling VA examinations.

The Veteran's claims for a higher rating for right ankle disability and service connection for PTSD were both denied by the Board.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for various disabilities, including an acquired psychiatric disorder, pes planus, bilateral ankle and knee disabilities, bilateral hip disabilities, and a low back disability. The Board found that there was no evidence of aggravation or pre-existing conditions in service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for a low back disability and bilateral ankle disability are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records from July 2010 to the present and an addendum opinion regarding the etiology of her current disabilities.

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

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for his service-connected fractured right ankle is being remanded due to the need for a new VA examination to assess the current severity of the condition.

The Board has determined that additional VA treatment records are needed and a VA examination is required to determine the current nature of the Veteran's knee and ankle disabilities, as well as their etiology.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not meet the criteria for special home adaptation grant due to his blindness in both eyes or loss of use of both hands.

The Board denied service connection for various foot, ankle, knee, hip, and low back conditions as well as bilateral eye conditions. The Veteran's claims were not supported by the evidence of record.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to address the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hip disability, bilateral ankle disability, and bilateral foot disability. Specifically, a VA examination is required to determine if these disabilities are proximately due or aggravated by his service-connected knee disabilities.

The Board denied service connection for various disabilities, including right shoulder, low back, and right leg disabilities. The claims were previously denied on the merits due to lack of evidence linking current conditions to military service.

The Veteran's hepatitis C claim is pending, as the appeal was withdrawn. The right foot injury with right ankle capsulitis and scars have been granted an increased rating to 20 percent effective February 4, 2009. The low back strain remains at a 10 percent disability rating.,The Veteran's TDIU claim is pending.