Ankle Board decisions

The Board denied service connection for the cause of death due to motor vehicle accident and resulting head injury, as well as DIC under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate evidence and the need for additional VA treatment records, updated income information, and a Supplemental Statement of the Case (SSOC).

The Board has granted a 20 percent rating for the Veteran's service-connected left ankle disorder since February 23, 2008. Prior to that date, the disability was rated as 10 percent disabling.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for right arm disability, left wrist disability, neck disability, and low back strain prior to February 13, 2008 are all denied. The Veteran was granted a compensable rating (10%) for her left index finger distal interphalangeal joint tendon disruption.

The Veteran's claims for higher ratings and service connection for right and left hip disabilities are denied. The effective date for the grant of service connection for degenerative joint disease of the right ankle remains February 6, 2001.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and a left ankle disorder due to lack of evidence showing current disabilities.

The Veteran's appeal for an increased rating for his service-connected right ankle disability was denied by the RO. The Board found that the evidence did not show that the Veteran's service-connected condition had gotten worse to warrant a higher evaluation.

The Board found that the appellant's current left ankle disorder is not related to his military service and denied his claim for service connection.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for an effective date prior to December 23, 1997 for service connection and a higher initial evaluation for bilateral pes planus. The criteria for these claims were not met.

The Veteran's lumbar spine disability is rated at 20 percent, effective August 14, 2003. The initial ratings for left ankle sprain and right ankle sprain are both 10 percent, effective August 14, 2003. The initial rating for left knee arthritis remains at 10 percent, effective August 14, 2003.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for throat cancer, right knee arthritis, and right ankle disability were denied. The claim for left wrist disorder was remanded.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for a skin condition and left ankle disability have been denied as the preponderance of evidence does not support a finding that these conditions are related to active service.

The Veteran's appeals for higher initial ratings for her right knee and left ankle disabilities have been dismissed due to her withdrawal of the appeal.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including a VA examination to determine the extent of any current disabilities and whether they are related to service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings were denied. The Board found no evidence of current bilateral sensorineural hearing loss, a chronic right shoulder disability, or an increase in the evaluation for his right ankle fracture with osteoarthritis.

The Veteran seeks service connection for a right ankle disability. The Board has determined that an examination is needed to determine the nature and etiology of any current right ankle disability, as it relates to service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not meet the criteria for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to his service-connected conditions.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral flat feet and ankle problems, finding that there was no evidence of a chronic disability during service or continuity of symptomatology since service. The new evidence submitted did not relate to these issues.