Ankle Board decisions

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn prior to the Board issuing a decision.

The Veteran's claim for increased rating in excess of 10 percent for a left knee disability has been denied as the evidence does not show that his flexion or extension is limited to 30 degrees or more, which would warrant a higher rating under Diagnostic Code 5260 or 5261. The Board also found no subluxation or moderate lateral instability of the left knee, precluding a separate compensable rating under Diagnostic Code 5257.

The Board has granted a higher 10% rating for the Veteran's right ankle disability as of May 14, 2009. Prior to this date, there was no evidence of moderate limitation of motion, warranting a noncompensable rating.

The Board found that the Veteran does not have a current right ankle disability and denied his claim for service connection.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development of his claims, including obtaining medical records from various VA facilities and off-site searches at Fort Dix and McGuire Air Force Base.

The Board has granted the Veteran's petition to reopen his claims for service connection for a headache disability and hiccups and muscular twitching of the eyes, finding that new evidence supports these claims. The claim for diabetes mellitus remains denied as there is no objective medical evidence showing it was caused by hypertension.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for left ankle sprain residuals and remanded it for further action, including a VA examination.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for malaria has been reopened due to the submission of new and material evidence. The claim for left ankle disorder remains pending as no new and material evidence was submitted.,Service connection for a heart disorder is denied.

The Veteran's appeal was denied as his service-connected left ankle disability is not supported by medical evidence of a current disability. His claims for increased ratings for other disabilities were also denied.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to determine if the Veteran's left ankle disability was aggravated during service and whether his current left leg disability is secondary to his left ankle disability. The case will be remanded for these purposes.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right knee strain, left knee strain, and lumbosacral strain are aggravated by his service-connected residuals of a right ankle fracture. As such, these conditions are considered secondary to his service-connected disability.

The Board found no current diagnosis of a left ankle disorder and denied the Veteran's claim for service connection as there was insufficient evidence to establish a link between his in-service injury and any current symptoms.

The Board found no evidence of a right ankle disability in service and denied the claim. Asbestosis was not shown to be related to service exposure, as there is no indication of asbestos exposure during service. The claims for tongue cancer, lung cancer, and testicular cancer were also denied due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to service.

The Board has remanded the claims for higher ratings for left ankle, left hip, left knee and low back disabilities to the RO via the Appeals Management Center (AMC) in Washington, DC. The AMC will arrange for a VA compensation examination to reassess the severity of these orthopedic disabilities.

The Veteran's service-connected right ankle disability, manifested by marked limitation of motion and complex regional pain syndrome, is rated at 10 percent.

The Board found that the evidence does not support a finding of service connection for a bilateral ankle disorder, an acquired psychiatric disorder, or major depressive disorder.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for additional development and consideration of all evidence, including recent treatment records and a VA examination report. The Veteran's claims for higher initial ratings for his knee disabilities and service connection for prostate cancer will be reconsidered.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's lumbar spine disability is etiologically related to his period of active service and grants service connection for this condition.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims due to the need for further development of evidence, including additional examination and review of medical records. The claims are not currently decided on their merits.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral pes planus and a chronic left ankle disability, finding that there was no evidence of in-service injury or aggravation, and concluding that any current disabilities were not related to service.