Ankle Board decisions

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current right ankle disability, including arthritis and surgical fusion, is related to his service injury during active duty in 1952.

The Veteran's left knee arthrotomy has not manifested by locking, ankylosis, recurrent subluxation, lateral instability, impairment of the tibia and fibula or genu recurvatum; flexion of the left knee has been limited to 90 degrees and extension has always been to zero degrees.,The Veteran's right knee meniscectomy has not manifested by locking, ankylosis, recurrent subluxation, lateral instability, impairment of the tibia and fibula or genu recurvatum; flexion of the right knee has been limited to 50 degrees and extension has always been to zero degrees.,The Veteran's left ankle disability has not manifested by ankylosis, malunion of the os calcis or astragulus, astragalectomy or marked limitation of motion.,The Veteran's left thumb disability has never manifested by ankylosis or inability to oppose the thumb.,The Veteran's tinea versicolor does not affect the head, face or neck or involve scarring; it has manifested by hyperpigmented lesions that do not affect at least 20 percent of the entire body or exposed areas, and has never required systemic therapy.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including hypertension, bilateral foot disorder, fatigue, joint pain of elbows and wrist, low back disorder, skin rash, bilateral ankle condition, left knee disorder, and right knee disorder. The decision found that there was no evidence to support these claims.

The Veteran's service records do not show any scars of the right buttock, inner left arm, left knee, or left ankle. The Board finds no current disability to support a grant of service connection.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were denied. The Board found no evidence of these conditions during his period of active military service or within the one-year presumptive period after separation. For the right shoulder, ankle, hip, and knee conditions, there is insufficient evidence to establish a nexus between these conditions and his service-connected right knee condition.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not prevent him from obtaining and retaining employment consistent with his abilities, aptitudes, and interests; he does not have an employment handicap.

The Veteran's service-connected right ankle sprain is currently rated at 20 percent, the maximum schedular evaluation for limited motion of the ankle. The appeal has been granted.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including right wrist fusion and periostitis of the right foot and ankle, do not render him unemployable due to their severity.

The Board denied service connection for a bilateral ankle disability to include a bilateral heel disability, as there was no evidence of such condition during or after service. The claims for reopening the claims of service connection for hearing loss and right hand disability were also denied due to lack of new and material evidence. Service connection for knee disabilities was reopened but not granted. Diabetes mellitus did not require regulation of activities.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to the RO in Atlanta, Georgia, for an appropriate hearing and further development.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability is granted as incurred during service. Service connection for joint pain, to include as due to an undiagnosed illness, is denied.

The Veteran's service-connected traumatic arthritis, right ankle, is currently rated at 10 percent and the Board finds that a higher rating is not warranted.

The Board found that the Veteran's current right ankle disorder is not related to any injury or disease incurred in service, and thus denied his claim for service connection.

The Board has determined that additional examinations and records are needed to properly adjudicate the appellant's claims for service connection.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for further development, including a medical opinion by a VA orthopedic specialist regarding his service-connected left knee and right hip disabilities. The claims will be adjudicated again once this development is completed.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional examinations and development of evidence.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including scheduling a VA examination and considering the possibility of staged ratings.

The Veteran's service-connected scars on his right ankle have been rated as 10 percent disabling since December 2001. The June 2006 rating decision reduced the rating to 0 percent effective May 6, 2006 due to non-tender scars, but this did not affect the monetary award.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for initial compensable ratings for left ear hearing loss, migraine headaches, a right ankle disability, and a left ankle disability. The appeals were based on direct service connection.

The Board found no current diagnosis of a right ankle disability or carpal tunnel syndrome of the right wrist, and thus denied service connection for these conditions.