Ankle Board decisions

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right foot disabilities, including a right ankle fracture and an Achilles tendon rupture, were not incurred or aggravated by service. The left knee disability was also not established as being related to service.

The Board found that the Veteran's current left ankle disability is not related to his active service and denied his claim for service connection.

The Veteran's right ankle disability was manifested by pain and slight reduction in dorsiflexion and plantar flexion prior to March 15, 2011. The Board found a 10% initial rating for the right ankle sprain condition.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for TDIU was denied as there is no evidence that he was unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation due solely to his service-connected disabilities prior to June 16, 2004.

The Veteran's bilateral metatarsalgia, right ankle degenerative joint disease, and left ankle degenerative joint disease are currently rated based on their current manifestations. The Board finds that the evidence does not support a higher rating for any of these conditions.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for left ankle disability, arthritis of hands and elbows, bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome, and increased ratings for left and right knee disabilities. The reasons given were that there was no evidence linking these conditions to active service.

The Veteran's right ankle disability is manifested by subjective complaints of pain and objective findings of functional limitation of motion to, at worst, 20 degrees in plantar flexion and 10 degrees in dorsiflexion. The criteria for a rating in excess of 20 percent have not been met.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities prevented him from securing and following substantially gainful employment prior to May 25, 2010.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for a right ankle sprain, increased rating for his right knee disability, and compensable rating for erectile dysfunction were denied. The Board found no evidence of a current diagnosis of a right ankle sprain or residuals thereof. For the right knee disability, the Board granted staged ratings based on limitation of motion.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for additional medical records and a new VA examination to assess the current level of impairment due to his service-connected right ankle strain.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for TDIU, finding that his service-connected disabilities render him unable to obtain and maintain substantially gainful employment consistent with his education and occupational experience.

The Board has dismissed the Veteran's appeal as his Substantive Appeal was not timely filed for the issues of service connection and increased evaluation.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's claims for service connection for right and left ankle disabilities should be remanded due to a change in hearing presiding VLJ.

The Board has found no credible evidence of a left ankle injury in service and the Veteran's current left ankle disability is not related to her right ankle or bilateral leg disabilities. The claim for service connection for a left ankle disability, including as secondary to a service-connected disability, is denied.

The Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 20 percent for his left ankle disability has been denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support an increase beyond the current 20 percent rating.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection were withdrawn at a Decision Review Officer Conference.,The Veteran does not have current diagnoses of left shoulder, right ankle, or left ankle disabilities.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for a new VA examination of his right ankle, as the last examination was from February 2009 and there are allegations that his condition has worsened since then.

The Board finds that the Veteran's current bilateral ankle and knee disabilities are not related to service, including any in-service injury. The preponderance of evidence does not support a finding of service connection for these conditions.

The Veteran's claims for right knee and ankle disorders were denied. The claim for right hip disorder is pending, as the VA examiner has not yet provided a definitive opinion regarding its onset or etiology. The Veteran's diabetes and hypertension are both rated at their maximum levels.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining medical opinions and records to address the Veteran's claims.