Ankle Board decisions

The case is being remanded to the Regional Office due to requests for a Travel Board hearing and other procedural issues.

The Board has granted service connection for a disability of the ankles and feet manifested by dependent edema as secondary to the veteran's service-connected knee disability. The claims for obesity and hypertension are denied.

The Board denied an extension of a temporary total rating for the veteran's service-connected right ankle disability beyond March 31, 1997.

The Board has granted service connection for residuals of right ankle injury, right shoulder injury, and tinnitus. The skin disorder claim is not well-grounded.

The Board has determined that there is no competent medical evidence linking the veteran's current right ankle disability to his service, and thus denied the claim for service connection.

The Board has determined that the claims of service connection for a left ankle disorder, gastrointestinal disorder, and head injury are not well grounded. The evidence does not support a link between these conditions and service.

The Board is unable to decide the well-grounded nature of the veteran's claims due to incomplete evidence and requests for additional records. The case is remanded for further development.

The Board has determined that the veteran's right ankle arthritis is related to his in-service injury, and he is granted service connection for this condition. The claim of service connection for poor circulation in both legs is not well-grounded as there is no competent evidence linking it to service. The claim of service connection for bilateral pes planus is also not well-grounded due to the preexisting nature of the disorder.

The Board found that the appellant's claims for service connection for bilateral ankle and right knee disabilities were not well grounded due to a lack of medical evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen the claim for service connection of a low back disability. The right ankle disability rating remains pending as there is no clear indication of whether it should be granted, denied, or remanded.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for right shoulder and right ankle disabilities due to a lack of medical evidence linking these conditions to active service.

The Board found that the veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD is not well-grounded and denied it. The claim for compensation under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151 for residuals of oral surgery performed in June 1990 was also denied.

The case is being remanded to the RO for additional development of medical records and readjudication.

The Board dismissed the veteran's appeal because his substantive appeal was not timely filed.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claim for service connection for a left ankle disorder due to new evidence submitted since the December 1993 RO denial. However, the claim remains denied as there is no competent medical evidence linking the current left ankle disorder to service.

The Board has granted a 10% rating for the veteran's left ankle disorder, finding that it is primarily manifested by some crepitus and pain with fatigability producing moderate impairment.

The veteran's claim for an increased rating for his left ankle disability was denied because he failed to appear for scheduled VA examinations without good cause.

The Board found new and material evidence to reopen claims for service connection of right shoulder, knee, and ankle disorders. However, it determined that the submitted evidence did not meet the criteria for reopening claims for service connection of right knee and right ankle disorders.

The Board has remanded the case to the RO for further examination and development of the claim, including obtaining medical records and arranging for an orthopedic and neurologic examination.

The Board granted service connection for bilateral knee disability, secondary to service-connected pes planus. The claims for low back, bilateral hip, and bilateral ankle disabilities remain pending.