Ankle Board decisions

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a right ear disability, back disability, bilateral ankle disabilities, and frostbite of the hands and feet. The evidence does not show any right ear disability other than hearing loss and tinnitus for which the Veteran is already service connected.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection for Hanta Virus, IBS, anemia (claimed as blood thinning), left ear disability, skin disability, and leishmaniasis were withdrawn prior to the Board making a decision.

The Veteran's left ankle degenerative joint disease is found to be secondary to his service-connected bilateral pes planus with plantar fasciitis. The right knee condition claim was denied as there is no evidence of a current disability, and the Board finds that the Veteran does not have a right knee disability. Service connection for a degenerative spine condition, to include as secondary to service-connected bilateral pes planus with plantar fasciitis, is granted.

The Veteran's appeal is granted, with service connection for tinnitus established. The other issues remain on appeal.

The Veteran's urination, sinus, swollen ankles and Alzheimer's disease claims were denied as they are not service-connected.,Claims for diabetes mellitus, onychomycosis (fungus infections) and skin disorder have been previously denied. New evidence has not raised a reasonable possibility of substantiating these claims.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection have been denied. The Veteran is currently assigned a 60 percent rating for his status-post right hemicolectomy, effective from November 1, 2013.

The Veteran's left ankle disability is currently rated at 20 percent, the maximum under Diagnostic Code 5271 for marked limitation of motion. The evidence does not demonstrate ankylosis or any other condition warranting a higher rating.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional VA treatment records, particularly those from June 2008 to June 2009 and January 2010 to present. The case will be returned to the Board after these records are obtained.

The Veteran's tinea versicolor has been rated at 30 percent since March 27, 2006. The Board granted a higher rating for the skin disability based on the severity of symptoms during flare-ups. Service connection for a right ankle disorder was also granted.

The Board denied an extraschedular rating for the Veteran's right ankle disability and found that he is not unemployable due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's degenerative joint disease of the left foot was incurred during active service, and thus granted service connection for this condition. The claims for a left knee disability and a left ankle disability are being remanded as there is insufficient evidence to determine their etiology.

The Board has reopened the appellant's claims for service connection for left knee disability, migraine headaches, and left ankle disability. A VA examination is needed to address these conditions.

The Veteran's left ankle disability is rated at the maximum schedular rating of 20 percent, and her anxiety disorder remains at a 50 percent rating. The TDIU claim was denied.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including major depressive disorder, degenerative joint and disc disease of the lumbar spine, chondromalacia of the left knee, and left ankle sprain, precluded him from securing and following substantially gainful employment during the appeal period.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been denied as the evidence is not in equipoise and does not support a finding of service connection for any of the conditions listed.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various disabilities, including left knee disability, left ankle disability, and left hip fracture residuals. The issues of chronic headaches, cerebrovascular accident (CVA), psychiatric disability, vertigo, back disability, and right eye cataracts were also addressed.

The Veteran's right ankle sprain with degenerative joint disease is currently rated at 20 percent, and his GERD is rated as 30 percent disabling. Both conditions are considered to be of direct service origin.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to schedule him for a videoconference hearing before a Veterans Law Judge at the earliest opportunity. If he fails to appear, his pending hearing requests will be withdrawn.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling a VA examination to assess the severity of his service-connected right ankle, left ankle, and left shoulder disabilities.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right ankle disability is not related to his active duty service or his service-connected diabetes mellitus, type I with erectile dysfunction. The evidence does not support a finding of direct service connection for the right ankle disability.