Ankle decisions — 2012

The Veteran's initial disability ratings for left knee and right ankle disabilities have been granted, with the right ankle receiving a 20 percent rating.

The Board found that the Veteran's right ankle disability was not incurred in or aggravated by service and arthritis may not be presumed to have been incurred in service.

The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including carcinoma of the liver, COPD, lumbar spondylosis, carpal tunnel syndrome, varicose veins, and weakness of the legs. The decision also addressed nonservice-connected pension and special monthly pension claims.

The Veteran's service-connected right and left ankle strains are not shown to warrant a compensable rating due to the lack of evidence of moderate or marked limitation of motion.,The Veteran's status post left ring finger fracture with residuals is not shown to interfere with his daily activities, as he reports no adverse impact on his ability to perform normal activities.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to address the Veteran's claims for service connection for intermittent transient compartmental syndrome/shin splints and right ankle fracture, including obtaining medical records and scheduling a VA examination.

The Veteran's ankle disorder claim was denied as there is no evidence of a current disability. The foot disorder claim will be remanded for further development.

The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied, and the claim of new and material evidence was reopened. The rating for chronic pain syndrome with disc bulging at L4-5 was not granted higher than 10 percent before October 28, 2006, but a 30 percent rating was granted from that date onwards. Other claims were denied.

The Veteran's right ankle sprain during service has been resolved without sequelae, but the Board finds that his current symptoms are related to service. Service connection is granted for residuals of a right ankle sprain.

The Board has remanded the case due to the Veteran's request for a rescheduled Travel Board hearing. The appeal is not ready for final decision.

The Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss, knee, skin, psychiatric, and left ankle disabilities were denied as there is no evidence of a current disability or a link to service. The claim for peripheral neuropathy was not addressed due to the absence of a specific request.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for a VA examination regarding the relationship between the Veteran's service-connected left and right foot cold injury residuals and his current right ankle disability, as well as whether any aggravation of the right ankle disorder is related to these conditions.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for her gynecological disability and right ankle disabilities were denied. The evidence did not meet the criteria for a higher rating under the applicable diagnostic codes.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for muscle pain (myalgias) and left ankle disability were denied as there is no evidence of a chronic disability manifested by these conditions during or since service.

The Veteran's effective dates for the increased ratings of his right knee and ankle disabilities are set to June 23, 2005.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for a right ankle disability and reopened claims for cervical, lumbar spine, bilateral hip, and bilateral knee disabilities due to conflicting evidence regarding their etiology. Further development is needed.

The Veteran's combined disability rating was reduced to 60 percent effective December 1, 2008. The Board finds that the evidence does not support a finding of unemployability due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeals for service connection for the residuals of a right ankle sprain and for a higher (compensable) initial rating for degenerative joint disease of the thoracic and lumbar spine. The Board does not have jurisdiction to consider these matters.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities prevent him from securing or following substantially gainful employment, and the Board finds that TDIU is warranted.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current osteochondritis dessicans of the right ankle is related to service and grants entitlement to service connection.

The Board finds that the Veteran's service-connected right ankle disability does not meet or approximate the criteria for a disability rating greater than 20 percent, as ankylosis is not demonstrated.