Ankle Board decisions

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection due to lack of evidence linking his current conditions to his time in service.

The Veteran was granted a 20 percent rating for lumbar degenerative changes with low back strain effective April 8, 2007.,A 10 percent rating has been assigned for right ankle arthrosis since May 18, 2004.,Sinusitis is rated at 10 percent since May 18, 2004.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus is related to in-service acoustic trauma and granted service connection for this condition. The initial compensable rating claim for the left ankle disability remains pending.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for a left ankle condition and low back condition, both secondary to his service-connected knee injury with chondromalacia, were denied by the RO.

The Veteran's right ankle disability and alopecia areata were found to be related to his service. The left ankle disability was granted a non-compensable rating, which the Veteran can appeal for an increased rating.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claimed conditions are not related to her service, and thus denied all of her claims.

The Veteran's left ankle disability is rated at 40 percent, the highest possible under DC 5262, due to requiring a brace and having instability.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities prevent him from successfully achieving his chosen vocational goal of obtaining a Master's degree in teaching, and it is not reasonably feasible for him to do so.

The Board found that there is clear and unmistakable evidence that the Veteran's left ankle disorder pre-existed service and was not aggravated by service. Therefore, the claim for service connection for a left ankle disorder has been denied.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for a right leg disability, right ankle disability, and left hand disability has been dismissed due to the Veteran withdrawing his appeal concerning the issues of entitlement to service connection for a right ankle disability and a left hand disability.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical opinions and evidence regarding his service connection claims and the deep vein thrombosis claim.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings are being remanded due to the need for additional examinations and consideration of his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's service-connected conditions have not met the criteria for increased evaluations beyond the currently assigned ratings.

The Veteran's hypertensive ischemic heart disease and degenerative joint disease of the left ankle are currently rated at 10 percent each, but do not meet the criteria for higher ratings based on their current manifestations.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus, bilateral knee disorder, left ankle disorder, and PTSD. The claim for service connection for pulmonary tuberculosis was previously denied in 1955 and is not currently being reopened.

The Veteran's right ankle condition is secondary to his service-connected left leg and ankle injury with traumatic arthritis, which resulted in marked interference with employment as a firefighter. The case is being referred for extraschedular consideration.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected chip fracture of right ankle with lateral instability does not warrant a rating in excess of 10 percent, as his range of motion is within normal limits and he does not meet the criteria for a higher evaluation based on additional functional loss.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unemployable, as his inability to work is due to other factors such as a stroke. The combined rating for his service-connected conditions (50% for bilateral pes cavus with hammertoes and 20% for residuals of a right ankle injury) meets the threshold criteria for a TDIU rating, but the evidence does not show that these disabilities alone are sufficient to render him unemployable.

The Veteran's appeal has been dismissed as she withdrew her appeal for a compensable evaluation for left ankle osteoarthritis, status post posterior malleolus fracture, and distal fibula shaft fracture prior to June 23, 2007.

The Veteran's claims for increased evaluations and service connection were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not meet the criteria for a compensable evaluation for epidermophytosis of the bilateral feet or residuals of cellulitis of the left knee, tinnitus was incurred during active military service, there is no current diagnosis of left foot and ankle disability or bilateral hand disability related to active military service, and new and material evidence has not been submitted to reopen claims for service connection for a left leg disability including scars and Paget's disease.