Ankle decisions — 2013

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for right knee and ankle disabilities, finding that there was no current evidence of these conditions. The denial is based on a lack of probative medical evidence demonstrating the existence of a current disability.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection were denied. His right wrist disability was rated as 10 percent disabling, while his right ankle sprain was also rated at 10 percent. The Board found no evidence of ankylosis or other conditions that would warrant higher ratings.

The Veteran's bilateral hip, knee, and left ankle disabilities were not found to be related to his service-connected cervical spine and thoracic spine disability.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to the RO for additional development, including new VA examinations and consideration of his service connection claims.

The Veteran's claim for TDIU prior to July 3, 2007 is being remanded due to the need for additional development and consideration of extraschedular TDIU under 38 C.F.R. § 4.16(b).

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to the RO for scheduling a Board video-conference hearing on his claim of entitlement to an initial, compensable disability rating for bilateral ankle posterior tibialis tendinopathy. The Veteran has not yet offered testimony on this issue.

The Board found no evidence of a current disability related to the Veteran's service, and thus denied her claims for service connection for left ankle disorder, low back disorder, and bilateral hip disorder.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not prevent him from obtaining or retaining substantially gainful employment, without considering his age and nonservice-connected conditions.

The Board has determined that the appellant does not have a diagnosed anterior left lower leg disability, and thus cannot establish service connection for this condition. The only disabilities affecting his lower left extremity are degenerative joint disease in his left knee.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a left ankle disability, including arthritis, is being remanded due to the need for additional development and an examination.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not meet the criteria for a certificate of eligibility for assistance in acquiring specially adapted housing or special home adaptations.

The Veteran's service connection for a left knee disorder due to undiagnosed illness is granted, and he is assigned a 10 percent initial rating for his left ankle fracture.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, but denied service connection for a left ankle disorder due to lack of evidence showing it was incurred in or aggravated by military service.

The Board has reopened the claim of service connection for atopic dermatitis, but denied it on its merits. The claim of service connection for residuals of right ankle injury was newly presented and is currently under review.,Service connection for atopic dermatitis was previously denied due to pre-existing condition aggravation not being shown. Service connection for residuals of right ankle injury has been reopened.

The Veteran's claim for increased ratings and service connection for headaches, radiculopathy, neuropathy, right knee disability, bilateral ankle and hip disabilities, arthritis (bilateral toes), skin disability, left knee patellofemoral syndrome, and headaches was granted. The Veteran is currently rated 30% for his service-connected headaches.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling examinations to address the issues on appeal.

The Veteran's left ankle disability, which included ankylosis after his August 2006 surgery, warranted a rating of 30 percent effective from August 9, 2006.

The Board has determined that the effective date for the TDIU should be March 1, 2004, as this is when the Veteran's claim was received and VA granted a temporary total evaluation based on his right ankle disability. The preponderance of evidence does not support an earlier effective date.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings were denied. The left ankle, low back, and knee disabilities were not found to meet the criteria for higher ratings.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is being remanded for additional development, including a VA examination to assess his employability due to service-connected disabilities and obtaining any outstanding VA treatment records.