Ankle decisions — 2012

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn by the Veteran himself, resulting in the dismissal of his appeal.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including a VA examination to determine if the Veteran has current right ankle and/or right foot disabilities that are caused or aggravated by his service-connected back disability, polyarteritis nodosa, and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

The Board found that the Veteran's current left ankle disability is not related to service and denied his claim for service connection.

The Board has remanded the case for further development and consideration of whether a TDIU is warranted on an extraschedular basis due to the Veteran's service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to the RO for consideration of additional evidence, including a VA-contracted examination from April 2011. The claim will be re-adjudicated and an SSOC issued if necessary.

The Board found that the appellant does not have a current respiratory disability, including asbestosis. The Board also determined that any current arthritis is not causally related to service.

The Board found no current right ankle disability and denied the Veteran's claim for service connection.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain a VA examination and additional development of the claims for service connection for stress fractures of the bilateral ankles, heels, and shins.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including a VA examination to determine if any current foot or ankle disorder is related to service-connected knee disabilities and whether it was caused by those disabilities.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to incomplete service treatment records and the need for additional medical examinations to determine the nature and etiology of his claimed disabilities.

The appeal has been withdrawn by the appellant before a decision was made.

The Veteran's claims for memory problems, diabetes mellitus type II, left ankle injury, and disability exhibited by numbness and cramps in the lower extremities were denied as they are not related to service or service-connected conditions.

The Veteran's service-connected right ankle arthritis is granted. The Board finds that the Veteran's left knee disability, presumed secondary to his service-connected right tibia fracture, also warrants service connection. The Veteran's service-connected degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine and degenerative arthritis in both hips are all granted with specific evaluations.

The Board found that the Veteran does not have a diagnosed condition manifested by fatigue or right ankle disorder, and thus denied service connection for these conditions.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a vein disability, claimed as a vein with ulcer disability, was denied. The Board found that the condition did not start during or immediately after his active duty and is not related to service. His claim for an initial compensable rating for residuals of right ankle Achilles tendon injury is pending.

The Veteran's tinnitus, bilateral hearing loss disability, and residuals of right ankle strain have been granted. The tinnitus is service-connected as secondary to her service-connected hearing loss. The Veteran was awarded a noncompensable rating for her bilateral hearing loss disability and a 10% rating for her residuals of right ankle strain.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, right leg and ankle disability, and left leg and ankle disability as the Veteran was not on active duty, active duty for training, or inactive duty for training at the time of the motor vehicle accident. The conditions are therefore not considered to be incurred in or aggravated by service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current left ankle, knee, and foot disabilities are related to his period of active service. Service connection is granted for these conditions.

The Board has ordered a remand to determine the etiology of the Veteran's left ankle hypertrophic scarring anterior talofibular ligament and whether it is related to his in-service left ankle sprain.