Ankle decisions — 2014

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current left and right ankle disabilities are not related to his military service, thus denying his claims for service connection.

The Veteran's left ankle disability, including a fracture and cyst, has been rated at 20 percent since June 2006. The claim for higher ratings is granted.

The Board denied an earlier effective date for the award of service connection for left ankle degenerative arthritis, finding that the Veteran's claim was not filed until December 10, 2002. The decision is based on the fact that no informal or formal claims were submitted between 1973 and 2002.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain additional medical records and for further examinations. The issues include service connection, increased ratings, and hearing loss.

The Board finds that the Veteran's recurrent bilateral ankle instability with ligament involvement is causally related to his active duty service and grants service connection for this condition. However, there is no evidence of current hearing loss disability as defined by VA regulations.

The Board has determined that the evidence is in relative equipoise with regard to whether the Veteran's bilateral ankle disorder, bilateral knee disorder, and lumbar spine disorder are secondary to his service-connected pes planus. As a result, these claims have been granted.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current right ankle strain is related to his in-service right ankle injury, and thus service connection for this disability is granted.

The Board finds that the Veteran's current left ankle condition is not related to service or her service-connected bilateral metatarsalgia and post-operative hammertoe, left third toe. The examiner opined that the foot surgery was in a remote location from the ankle joint and could not affect it.

The Veteran's appeal includes multiple issues related to the ratings and effective dates for various service-connected disabilities, including right ankle instability, right knee chondromalacia patella, left degenerative joint disease, and low back osteoarthritis. The appeals are being remanded due to scheduling issues.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection were denied. Service connection was not granted, but the Veteran's existing right ankle disability was rated based on its severity.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for a low back disability, right ankle disability, and psychiatric disorder. The claim seeking an increased rating for his right knee disability was also denied.

The Board has determined that additional development is necessary before the claims for higher initial evaluations for left ankle and right foot disabilities can be fully adjudicated.

The Board found no evidence of a current disability related to service for back, ankle, or knee conditions and denied the Veteran's claims.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have current disabilities of the knees, back, or right ankle to support service connection claims.,VA examinations in June 2009 found no current diagnoses for any of the claimed conditions.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining private treatment records and scheduling a VA examination. The issues of service connection for various foot, ankle, and knee disabilities are on appeal.

The Veteran requested to withdraw appeals for several conditions, including breathing disorder, pulmonary disorder, right thyroid nodule, left knee disorder, left ankle disorder, right ankle disorder, left elbow disorder, right elbow disorder, left arm cyst, right arm cyst, right shoulder condition, left shoulder condition, right wrist condition, left wrist condition, right hip condition, and left hip condition.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for a right knee disorder was denied in June 2003 due to aggravation by his active service. The evidence received since then includes testimony from the Veteran stating that he aggravated his pre-service right knee disorder during his second period of service.

The Veteran's increased ratings for her right knee and ankle disabilities have been denied as the evidence does not support a rating in excess of the current assigned ratings.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral ankle disability and sinus tachycardia are not service-connected as they are not due to or aggravated by his hypertension, which is related to Nifedipine. The psychiatric disorder claim was not addressed in this decision.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further examination and opinion to consider the combined effects of his service-connected disabilities on his employability.

The Board has decided to remand the case for additional development, including obtaining medical records and conducting a VA examination.