Ankle Board decisions

The Veteran's ankylosing spondylitis and related disabilities of the right ankle, bilateral hips, lumbar spine, and cervical spine were granted service connection as they were found to have been aggravated by his military service.

The Board dismissed the veteran's appeal for an increased rating as there was no timely notice of disagreement with the August 2003 rating decision.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for hearing loss, a left ankle disability, and peripheral neuropathy were denied as there was no evidence of a nexus between the current conditions and his military service.

The Veteran is in need of regular aid and attendance as of May 1, 2005.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected right ankle disability, as there was no evidence of marked limitation of motion.

The case is remanded for further development of the evidence regarding the Veteran's left ankle disability and a Statement of the Case will be issued for the PTSD claim.

The Board found that the Veteran's multiple claimed disabilities were not the proximate result of active duty and were, in fact, due to his own misconduct.

The Veteran's claims for initial ratings for right knee retropatellar pain syndrome, inversion laxity of the left and right ankles, and a comminuted fracture of the right middle finger were granted with 10% ratings effective May 6, 2006.

The Board found that the Veteran's postoperative left ankle fracture did not warrant an evaluation in excess of 20 percent based on the current limitation of motion and other factors.

The appeal is dismissed due to the Veteran's death.

The claims for higher initial and increased ratings for right and left ankle disabilities are being remanded to the RO via the Appeals Management Center (AMC) for further development.

The case is being remanded to obtain a more comprehensive medical opinion regarding the severity of the veteran's left ankle disability.

The Board found that the preponderance of the evidence is against the finding that the appellant's current right ankle disorder is etiologically related to or has been aggravated by any incident or injury that occurred during his verified period of active duty for training.

The Board denied service connection for right knee, left knee, and right ankle disabilities as there was no evidence of current disability related to the Veteran's active service.

The Board denied service connection for a right ankle disability, left knee disability, and gynecological disability (to include infertility/sterility) as there was no current diagnosis of these conditions.

The Veteran's left ankle degenerative joint disease is rated at 20 percent due to marked limitation of motion.

The appeal is remanded to the RO for further development and adjudication of the service connection claims.

The Board denied an increased rating for right ankle osteoarthritis and left knee osteoarthritis with medial joint space narrowing, as the evidence did not support a higher disability rating.

The Board denied an increased rating for the residuals of a gunshot wound of the right ankle, with injury to Muscle Group X, as the evidence did not show that the disability had worsened beyond the current 10 percent rating.

The veteran's claim for service connection for a left ankle sprain was denied, while an initial evaluation of 30 percent was granted for coronary artery disease status post myocardial infarction and bypass.