Ankle decisions — 2011

The Veteran's low back disability is rated as 10 percent disabling, his right and left knee disabilities are each rated as 10 percent disabling, and his left ankle disability prior to August 6, 2010, was also rated as 10 percent disabling. After that date, the disability was rated as noncompensable.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen the claims of entitlement to service connection for right ankle and low back disabilities. The Veteran's current disabilities are related to his in-service motor vehicle accident.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including bilateral pes planus, hypertension, left ankle and knee disorders, a low back disorder, and obesity. The denial is based on the lack of evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Veteran's right ankle disability is manifested by pain, instability, and lack of mobility. The Board has determined that a 20 percent rating is warranted to compensate for the functional loss associated with these symptoms.

The Board has determined that the Veteran sustained a left ankle injury during service and now has a chronic left ankle disability. The right ankle disability is considered to be secondary to the left ankle disability.

The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied due to lack of evidence showing the conditions were incurred in service. The Board found no new and material evidence to reopen these claims.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a finding of marked limitation of motion in the left ankle, and thus no higher evaluation was warranted.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection and an increased rating for her right knee disability, finding that the evidence did not support a higher evaluation.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection were denied. The claim to reopen his left knee disorder was also denied.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for a left ankle disorder and lower gastrointestinal bleeding disorder has been denied.,The Veteran's appeals for an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for right patellofemoral pain syndrome and left patellofemoral pain syndrome have also been denied.

The Veteran's left-sided facial nerve damage and neurological disability are not service-connected due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and secondary service connection were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a direct or secondary relationship between his current lumbar spine and right hip disorders and his service-connected right ankle disability.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including bilateral hearing loss, hypertension, internal hemorrhoids, varicose veins of the lower extremities, eczema, left foot cold weather injury residuals, right foot plantar fasciitis, and right foot calcaneal fracture. The reasons provided are that there is no current evidence linking these conditions to service or any other basis for service connection.

The Board denied service connection for the Veteran's claimed disabilities, including left knee and left ankle disabilities, low back disability, lung disorder as a result of asbestos exposure, left hip disability, and residuals of a fracture of the nose. The decision found that new evidence did not raise a reasonable possibility of substantiating these claims.

The Veteran's right ankle disability is currently rated at 10 percent, and the Board has determined that a 20 percent evaluation is warranted based on moderate limitation of motion. The claim for an increased rating is granted.

The Board has granted service connection for chronic right ankle sprain residuals including arthritis, finding that the Veteran's current condition is at least as likely as not caused by his inservice right ankle sprains.

The Board has granted a 10 percent rating for the Veteran's service-connected right ankle disorder, effective from July 8, 2004.

The Board has granted service connection for the residuals of a right inguinal hernia, finding that the injury likely occurred during INACDUTRA. The claims for bilateral pes planus and ankle disorders are remanded due to insufficient evidence.

The Veteran's right ankle disability has been rated at 20 percent since September 14, 2007. The issue of whether new and material evidence supports reopening a claim for service connection for a right knee disorder is pending.

The Board denied service connection for right ankle and shoulder disabilities, finding that the evidence did not support a link to active duty.,The Veteran's service-connected right elbow disability was not found to have caused or aggravated his claimed right shoulder disability.