Ankle decisions — 2012

The Veteran's current tinnitus was incurred in active duty service and the Board granted entitlement to service connection for tinnitus. The issue of increased rating for residuals of right ankle arthroscopy with traumatic arthritis is remanded due to lack of a recent VA examination.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various disabilities, including PTSD, neck disability, tinnitus, left ankle and bilateral foot disabilities, and asthma. The decision also noted that there was no evidence of a current psychiatric disability.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for a medical examination and opinion regarding whether the Veteran's current left ankle disability is related to his in-service injury.

The Veteran's claim for a clothing allowance is being remanded due to the need to adjudicate his reopened service connection claim for left ankle and foot disability. The issue of whether he needs a brace to stabilize his hip will also be considered.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for gouty arthritis of the back, toes, fingers, knees, shoulders, and ankles was denied as his condition did not meet the criteria for a higher rating under VA's Schedule for Rating Disabilities.

The Board has granted a 20% evaluation for post-operative lumbosacral spine degenerative disc disease from August 5, 2008 through November 23, 2010. The Veteran's claim of entitlement to increased evaluations for her left proximal tibial avulsion residuals is denied.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's left knee and left ankle disabilities did not have their onset in service, were not otherwise etiologically related to her service, and therefore denied service connection for these conditions.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain additional medical records and to schedule him for VA examinations to determine the nature and etiology of his claimed disabilities.

The Veteran's appeal involves multiple conditions and their evaluations, with some issues related to hip disability, gout, arthritis, back pain, nerve compression, flat feet, and hypertension. The case is being remanded for a Travel Board hearing.

The Board found that the Veteran's left knee and right ankle disabilities were not incurred or aggravated by service, nor are they proximately due to or the result of her service-connected right knee and left ankle disabilities.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not preclude him from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation consistent with his education and work experience.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded to allow for additional evidence to be considered and a new Supplemental Statement of the Case (SSOC) to address this evidence.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for left shoulder, bilateral ankle, bilateral hip, and bilateral knee disorders have been reopened. The claim for service connection for a spinal cord disorder has also been reopened.,The evidence received is not sufficient to reopen the claim of service connection for multiple uterine fibroids.

The Veteran seeks service connection for the residuals of a left ankle injury and an increased evaluation for his service-connected adjustment disorder. The case is being remanded to obtain additional medical evidence, including VA outpatient treatment records and examinations.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not meet the criteria for SMC based on aid and attendance or housebound status.

The Veteran's lung condition/bronchitis claim is pending, as the Board has not yet made a determination on this issue.,The Veteran's left ankle condition secondary to service-connected right ankle sprain claim is pending, as the Board has not yet made a determination on this issue.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his benign prostatic hypertrophy with prostatism has been granted, effective September 18, 2006. The effective date of the increased disability evaluation is determined to be September 18, 2006.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for a left ankle disability and finds that there is sufficient evidence to establish a nexus between the current condition and his military service. The claim is therefore granted.

The Veteran's right ankle disability is currently rated at 20 percent, the highest possible under Diagnostic Code 5271. The appeal was granted for an increased evaluation.

The Board has granted service connection for chronic right and left ankle sprains/strains, but denied an initial compensable evaluation for the Veteran's service-connected right shoulder impingement syndrome prior to December 1, 2008.