Ankle Board decisions

The Board remands the case for a VA orthopedic examination to determine if the veteran's current right ankle condition is related to his service.

The Board has reopened the claims for service connection for residuals of a low back and left ankle disabilities, but denied reopening the claim for a right ankle disability.

The Board denied service connection for peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities, bilateral knee disabilities, bilateral hip/leg disabilities, bilateral ankle disabilities, and weight gain as secondary to pes planus with osteoarthritis of the feet.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral knee sprain, left ankle sprain, and low back disability as they were not incurred in or aggravated by the veteran's active duty service, nor are they proximately due to or the result of his service-connected right ankle.

The Board denied service connection for the veteran's claimed orthopedic and left thumb disabilities as there was no evidence of a disability during active duty or within applicable presumptive periods, and the current conditions were not related to his military service.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for higher initial ratings for residuals of right and left ankle injuries, finding that moderate limitation of motion was shown but not marked limitation.

The veteran was granted a 10 percent rating for right ankle disability from February 1, 2005 to December 4, 2006 and a noncompensable rating thereafter. The veteran's bilateral hearing loss was service-connected.

The appellant withdrew his appeals for service connection for PTSD, depression, patellofemoral stress syndrome with degenerative joint disease of the right knee secondary to service-connected instability of the right ankle with degenerative joint disease, left knee degenerative joint disease secondary to service-connected instability of the right ankle with degenerative joint disease, status post arthroscopy and debridement, and mechanical low back pain with degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine as secondary to the service-connected instability of the right and left ankle with degenerative joint disease.

The Board denied service connection for a lumbar spine, right ankle, and right great toe disability as there was no evidence of these conditions in service or within the relevant time frame. The claims to reopen for skin disorder and bilateral foot fungus were also denied due to lack of new and material evidence.

The appeal was remanded to reschedule the veteran's video conference hearing at the St. Paul RO.

The veteran's claims for service connection for right shoulder strain, left ankle strain, and a chronic disability manifested by chest pain were denied as there was no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board denied service connection for arthritis of the cervical spine, right shoulder, wrists, hips, and left ankle; carpal tunnel syndrome of the right wrist; degenerative joint disease (arthritis) of the lumbar spine to include residuals of surgery; and residuals of a left knee contusion to include arthritis.

The Board denied service connection for a right foot or ankle disorder as there was no evidence of an in-service injury, and the current disability was not related to any incident during service.

The Board denied service connection for a bilateral foot disorder, a bilateral ankle disorder, and obsessive compulsive disorder as there was no evidence of these conditions during service or within the relevant time frame, and no nexus to service was shown.

The Board found that the evidence submitted since the previous denials was not new and material, thus denying both claims of entitlement to service connection for a bilateral ankle disability and a psychiatric disability (claimed as bipolar disorder).

The Board remands the appeal for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling a VA examination.

The veteran's claims for service connection for asbestosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a left arm and shoulder disorder, a right ankle disorder and foot sprain, and right arm radiculopathy were denied. A higher initial rating for the service-connected bilateral sensorineural hearing loss was also denied.

The Board denied service connection for right foot and ankle disabilities as they were not shown to be related to the veteran's active duty service.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for right ankle disability as there was no evidence of a chronic disability during service or continuity of symptomatology after service, and the current condition is less likely related to an in-service injury.

The veteran's claims for service connection for various bilateral foot, ankle, hip, knee, and low back disorders are being remanded for further development.