Ankle Board decisions

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for a new VA examination to determine the current severity of his service-connected residuals of a right ankle fracture. The case will be reviewed again after this additional development.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a right ankle disability and left knee degenerative joint disease, finding that new evidence did not relate to an unestablished fact necessary to substantiate the claim. The Board also found that there was no medical evidence linking the left knee disability to military service.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is rated at 40 percent, effective June 19, 2002. The right ankle disability was not found to be incurred or aggravated by service and thus denied.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased rating are being remanded due to incomplete records and the need for further examination.

The Veteran's degenerative joint disease of the left ankle has been granted a 10 percent rating. Service connection was established for right foot disability, left foot disability, and residuals of stroke.

The Veteran's initial ratings for left shoulder and left ankle disabilities have been granted, but the Board finds no evidence to warrant a higher rating based on current symptomatology.

The Veteran's claim is being remanded to the RO for a Decision Review Officer review and potential scheduling of a hearing before a Veterans Law Judge at the RO.

The Veteran is seeking service connection for his right ankle and heel injuries. The VA has not obtained all of the Veteran's recent medical records, particularly from the VA Outpatient Clinic in Cameron, Missouri, since March 2008. Therefore, the case must be remanded to obtain these records.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to insufficient medical evidence regarding the etiology of the Veteran's current right shoulder and left ankle disabilities.

The Veteran's claim for an initial disability rating in excess of 10 percent for diarrhea has been granted, with a current effective date of April 17, 2009.

The Veteran's service-connected chronic ligamentous strain of the right ankle with degenerative joint disease is not productive of marked limitation of motion, and there is no evidence of ankylosis. Therefore, a higher rating than 20 percent is denied.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling VA examinations.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various disabilities, including a left ankle disability, neck disability, right hip and shoulder disabilities, PTSD, bilateral hand and hip disabilities, and low back disability. The decision also addressed other issues related to the Veteran's service-connected left knee disability.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including VA examinations and the obtaining of medical records.

The appeal has been withdrawn by the appellant.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for further development, including a VA examination and consideration of extraschedular considerations.

The Board found no evidence of a current underlying disorder associated with the Veteran's complaints, and thus denied service connection for all claimed conditions.

The Board has remanded the claims for additional development due to incomplete examination and failure to address DeLuca factors. The Veteran's service-connected calcaneal spurs of the left foot, talonavicular joint arthritis, bilateral Achilles tendonitis, and low back disorder are also being reviewed.

The Veteran's service-connected right ankle injury and postoperative right inguinal hernia are currently rated at the maximum allowable under their respective diagnostic codes. The Veteran's anatomical loss of the right testicle does not meet the criteria for a compensable rating.

The Board found that there is no evidence of a current diagnosis of residuals of a ruptured right eardrum, and thus denied the claim for service connection for this condition. The heart and right ankle disorders are remanded as additional development is necessary to determine their etiology.