Ankle Board decisions

The Board has granted service connection for a history of a severe sprain with a hairline fracture of the right ankle and assigned a 10 percent disability evaluation, effective from April 16, 1999. The veteran's appeal is now resolved in his favor.

The Board has denied the appellant's attempts to reopen his claims of service connection for migraine headache disorder, personality disorder, and arthritis of wrists, knees, and ankles. The evidence submitted does not meet the criteria for reopening these claims.

The Board has determined that the veteran's current left ankle disorder is not related to his active service, and thus denied his claim for service connection.

The veteran's appeal has been withdrawn by her representative prior to the Board making a decision.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a bilateral ankle disorder and PVD, finding no evidence of current disabilities related to his reported in-service injury.

The Board found no evidence of a chronic left ankle disorder that is related to service or service-connected disability. The veteran's claim for secondary service connection was denied.

The veteran's left tibia fracture with ankle disability and impairment of the peroneal nerve are currently rated at 10 percent, while his bone graft from right iliac crest is also rated at 10 percent. The appeals for increased ratings have been granted.

The Board has decided to remand the case for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling a VA examination.

The Board has granted a 30 percent disability rating for the veteran's right ankle sprain with chronic peroneal tendinitis and traumatic arthritis, effective March 3, 2004.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to VCAA requirements.

The Board found that the veteran's right ankle disorder is not related to service or an incident of service origin and denied his claim for service connection.

The veteran's right shoulder disorder was granted a 20 percent rating, while the other issues remained at noncompensable ratings.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen claims for service connection for hemorrhoids, low back disorder (previously characterized as developmental anomaly of the lumbar spine), hypertension, edema of the feet, ankles, hands, abdomen, and face, diabetes mellitus, abnormal laboratory findings, fibromyalgia, lupus, multiple sclerosis, liver disability (to include cirrhosis), respiratory (lung) disability, osteoarthritis of the major and minor joints, eye disability, tremors of the upper extremities, carpal tunnel syndrome, Meniere's syndrome, headaches with dizziness, nausea, and lightheadedness, chronic Candida, low back pain with pain radiating into the hips (previously characterized as developmental anomaly of the lumbar spine), an acquired hamstring disorder, an acquired bilateral hip disorder, a bilateral knee disorder, and a bilateral elbow disorder. However, service connection is not established for any of these conditions.

The Board has granted service connection for current, chronic knee and ankle disabilities that the veteran claims are related to his military service.

The veteran's claim for an increased rating for residuals of a fracture of the right femur and tibia with impairment of the femoral artery and sciatic nerve and degenerative joint disease of the right knee is granted, resulting in a disability rating of 80 percent. The claims for increased ratings for residuals of a fracture of the left femur with sciatic nerve involvement, due to a shell fragment wound, and for degenerative joint disease of the left ankle are denied.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for an earlier effective date for TDIU and special monthly compensation by reason of need for regular aid and attendance or being permanently housebound, finding that there was no formal or informal claim prior to August 20, 1996. The RO had granted TDIU based on a combined service-connected disability rating of 80% as of August 20, 1996.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for insomnia and fatigue, bilateral elbow pain, left knee disability, and bilateral ankle disability due to a lack of evidence showing that these conditions were incurred in service or related to his service-connected skin condition.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to inadequate notification and possible legal errors in previous decisions.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for a VA examination and further development of evidence related to the veteran's claimed low back, bilateral knee, left hip, and left ankle disorders.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not currently have any disability related to a shrapnel wound of the left thigh. The claim for service connection is denied.