Ankle Board decisions

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to obtain relevant service records and medical records, as well as to schedule the Veteran for VA examinations. The claims will be reconsidered after this additional development.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claimed right knee, left knee, and right ankle disorders are not related to service. The evidence does not support a finding of in-service injury or disease, nor is there credible evidence of continuity of symptomatology since service separation.

The Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for service connection and disability ratings have been denied as there is no credible evidence of a formal or informal claim prior to May 22, 2006.

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

The Veteran's claims for service connection for a left ankle disability and bilateral hand disability, including carpal tunnel syndrome, were denied. The Board found no evidence of current disabilities except possibly carpal tunnel syndrome in the right and left hands.

The Board found that the Veteran's back disorder was incurred during service and granted service connection. The bilateral hip and knee disorders are considered secondary to the back disorder, as is the right ankle disorder.

The Board denied service connection for epidermal cysts and degenerative joint disease of the bilateral ankles, finding that there was no evidence linking these conditions to military service.

The Board has ordered a remand to obtain additional medical opinions regarding the Veteran's claims for service connection. The issues of direct, secondary, and aggravation service connection will be adjudicated after the additional development.

The Board finds that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of a bilateral ankle disability and therefore, service connection for this condition is denied.

The Veteran's claim for an initial rating in excess of 20 percent for residuals of a right ankle twisting ligament injury was denied as the evidence did not support a higher evaluation.

The Board found no current diagnoses of a right ankle disorder, left ankle disorder, or right knee disorder at any time during the pendency of the appeal.,For the left knee disorder, the Board did not find credible evidence linking it to service.

The Veteran's claims for PTSD, lumbosacral strain, and left ankle strain are being remanded due to the need for additional evidence including VA treatment records and SSA disability determination.

The Veteran's right knee disability is found to be service-connected. The claim for joint pain, including left knee and left ankle pain, was not fully adjudicated as it pertains to secondary service connection.

The Board found that the Veteran's current left ankle disability, including arthritis, is not related to his in-service injury and denied service connection.

The Board has determined that a remand is necessary to obtain additional medical opinions and records in order to properly adjudicate the Veteran's claim for service connection for a bilateral ankle disorder.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete service treatment records and requests for additional information from various sources. The Veteran's claims for bilateral knee and ankle disabilities are pending.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA medical records and Social Security Administration disability benefits records. The case will be readjudicated after the development is completed.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right ankle and right knee disabilities did not manifest during or as a result of active military service, nor were they caused by or permanently aggravated by his service-connected neuritis of the saphenous nerve of the right lower extremity. As such, service connection for these conditions is denied.

The Board denied the Veteran's service connection claims for breathing problems and bilateral ankle and knee pain (claimed as arthritis) due to his failure to report for VA examinations scheduled in compliance with the December 2009 remand instructions.,There is no evidence of a current disability, nor any link between the claimed conditions and service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including VA examinations and consideration of the new evidence received.