Ankle Board decisions

The Veteran is unable to obtain or retain substantially gainful employment due to his musculoskeletal disabilities and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with panic disorder, agoraphobia, and dysthymia.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to his failure to report for a scheduled Travel Board hearing. The case will be returned to the Board after proper notice and scheduling of another hearing.

The Veteran's claims for right wrist tendonitis, costochondritis of the right ribs (resolved), left and right ankle arthritis, facial myokymia, and prostatitis have been granted. The service connection is established on a direct basis.

The Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss, gout and arthritis of the feet, and gout and arthritis of the ankles were denied as there is no evidence showing that these conditions manifested during service or within one year thereafter. The Board found that the current disabilities are not related to military service.

The Veteran's diffuse arthralgia of the ankles, knees, and hips is considered to be due to his January 2003 anthrax vaccination. His psychiatric disorder is also linked to this same exposure.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various disabilities, including right lower leg, thigh, knee, ankle, and back conditions have been denied. The Board finds that there is no evidence of a current disability related to these conditions or any in-service injury.

The Veteran's claim for residuals of a left ankle injury is denied as there is no current diagnosis.,Service connection for gout has been granted. The Veteran currently has diagnosed gout.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection were denied. The Board found that the lumbar spine disability was not incurred in or aggravated by active service, nor is it proximately due to a service-connected condition.

The appellant does not have a current diagnosis of any type of posttraumatic residuals of an injury of the left ankle or competent and credible indication that he has present disability as a residual or consequence of this type of trauma during his active duty military service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, Tinnitus, Thoracolumbar Spine Strain, Right Ankle Strain, and Right Knee Disability, do not render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board finds that the Veteran does not have a current left ankle disability and therefore, service connection for this condition is denied. For his bilateral hip disability, the evidence of record fails to establish its onset in service or any direct relationship with service-connected low back disability.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have current diagnoses of elbow, shoulder, knee, or ankle disorders. Therefore, service connection for these conditions is denied.

The Veteran's temporary total rating for convalescence following left ankle surgery in September 2008 is denied as the preponderance of evidence shows that the surgery was unrelated to his service-connected left ankle disability.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining the Veteran's service personnel records to verify his reported injuries during active service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not preclude him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection have been withdrawn, and the claim for an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for PTSD is denied as there is no legal basis for assignment of any earlier effective date.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral knee and ankle disabilities are not related to service, including her service-connected plantar fasciitis.

The Veteran's left ankle degenerative joint disease is rated at a 10 percent rating prior to February 27, 2012, and at a 20 percent rating from that date. The current evaluation adequately reflects the severity of his disability.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeals for all issues currently on appeal, and the Board does not have jurisdiction to review them.

The Veteran's service-connected left great toenail deformity, left foot degenerative arthritis of the left great toe and hammertoe, and left ankle strain have all been granted at their current non-compensable evaluations.