Ankle decisions — 2016

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for increased ratings and secondary service connection, finding no new and material evidence to reopen her previously denied claims.

The Board finds that the Veteran's current conditions, including bilateral hearing loss and various orthopedic disabilities, are not service-connected due to lack of evidence showing a direct relationship between his active service and these conditions.

The Veteran's claims for increased rating, service connection, and TDIU were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating for his right foot and ankle disability.

The Veteran's upper-respiratory disorder, hypertension, bilateral ankle disorder, and erectile dysfunction were not incurred in service or are not proximately due to any service-connected disability.,No effective date was assigned as the claims for these conditions have been denied.

The VA denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for right and left ankle disorders, finding that there is no evidence of a current disability related to service or any other presumptive conditions.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current left knee, right knee, and right ankle disabilities are not related to service. The preponderance of evidence does not support a finding that these conditions were incurred or aggravated during active duty.

The Board has determined that restoration of a 20 percent rating for the Veteran's right tibia and fibula with traumatic arthritis of the ankle is warranted due to material improvement in his disability, despite some limitations.

The Veteran's left ankle disability has been manifested by marked limitation of motion with pain, and instability. The Board finds that a rating in excess of 20 percent is not warranted for the entire period covered by this claim.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings have been denied. The effective date for the grant of service connection for degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine is July 15, 1998.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of a right knee disability or bilateral shin splints, and therefore service connection for these conditions is denied. The claim for left ankle disability remains pending.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claimed right ankle, left ankle, and bilateral knee disorders are not related to service. The gastrointestinal disorder is also not linked to service or a service-connected disability.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection were denied. The Board found that the left ankle disability was not related to service, and the knee disabilities did not warrant higher ratings.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for left foot disorder, bilateral shoulder disorders, and bilateral ankle disorders were all denied. The Veteran was granted a compensable evaluation (10%) for acne and syringomas since May 27, 2015.

The Board has granted the Veteran's petitions to reopen his claims for service connection for back pain and a left ankle condition, finding new and material evidence. The bilateral foot disability claim remains pending.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's low back disability warrants a 20 percent rating, effective from the date of her claim in February 2006.

The Board denied service connection for hypertension, arthritis of the left foot, and tarsal tunnel syndrome of the right ankle. Service connection was granted for hemorrhoids, but with a non-compensable evaluation. The Veteran's right foot arthritis and surgical scars were also not granted increased evaluations.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development to determine the nature and etiology of her claimed disabilities, including whether they are related to service.

The Board has determined that additional development is required for the Veteran's claims, including verifying his reported in-service stressor and obtaining a VA examination to assess the current severity of his right ankle disability.

The Veteran's left ankle disability, which caused painful motion and was not ankylosis or related to any service-connected condition, warrants a noncompensable initial rating from August 25, 2011.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current disabilities of the right knee, lumbar spine, and cervical spine are not related to his military service.