Ankle decisions — 2013

The Board denied reopening of the claim for service connection for right ankle disability and denied all other issues on appeal.

The Board has ordered the Veteran's case to be remanded for additional development, including a VA examination and review of her claims file.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for a Travel Board hearing. The issues of entitlement to service connection for left ankle disability, headaches, sinus disability, and bilateral hearing loss remain on hold until further notice.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including VA examinations and the provision of private treatment records. The issues include service connection for bilateral foot and ankle disabilities, as well as an earlier effective date for a hearing loss rating.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a bilateral knee disability, degenerative joint disease of the left ankle, trench foot condition, and bilateral foot disability as there is no credible evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining medical records and a VA examination.

The Board found that there was no evidence of a chronic bilateral ankle disability during active service and that the current condition is not related to service. The Veteran's current ankle pain began after separation from service.

The Board finds that the Veteran's left hip disability is proximately due to, caused by, or aggravated by his service-connected disabilities affecting his left foot and ankle.

The Board finds that the overpayment of VA compensation benefits in the amount of $3,319.84 was properly created and is a valid debt.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including VA examinations to assess the nature and etiology of his claimed disabilities.

The Board has found that further development is necessary to determine if the Veteran's death was caused by his service-connected disabilities or due to VA's failure to timely diagnose his lung cancer.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional medical records and an examination.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current right ankle disability is not related to her active military service and therefore denied her claims for service connection.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a bilateral ankle disability, finding that it did not have its onset in service and was not proximately due to or the result of his service-connected bilateral pes planus with callosities.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling a VA orthopedic examination to determine if his service-connected pes planus, bilateral heel spurs, and/or bilateral arthritis of the knees caused or aggravated his residuals, arthritis of the ankles.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unemployable as of July 14, 2009. His combined disability rating is 80 percent with consideration of the bilateral factor.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been denied. The Board has not found new and material evidence to reopen the claims for bilateral knee disability, bilateral foot fungus condition, or leg length discrepancy.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been presented to reopen the previously denied claim of entitlement to service connection for a left ankle disability. The Veteran's left ankle ligament tear is found to be at least as likely as not related to his in-service left ankle sprain.

The Veteran's right ankle disability, characterized by arthritis following a fracture in service, has been rated at 20 percent since May 12, 2006. The current rating is based on marked limitation of motion without ankylosis or other compensating factors.

The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied as the evidence did not support a finding of in-service incurrence or aggravation of any claimed conditions, and no presumptive exposure to herbicide agents was established.