Ankle Board decisions

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for various lower extremity and back disabilities, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between her current conditions and service.

The Board has determined that the claim for service connection for residuals of an occipital laceration is not well grounded and therefore denied. The other claims on appeal are addressed in the remand at the end of this action.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for left ankle disability, small airway disease as secondary to asbestos exposure, and right flank muscle spasm (back disability). The decision found that there was no current disability for the left ankle claim and insufficient evidence linking the small airway disease to service. The back disability claim is pending due to incomplete records.

The Board finds that the veteran does not have an employment handicap due to his service-connected disabilities and is successfully maintaining employment as a site manager. Therefore, he does not meet the criteria for vocational rehabilitation under Chapter 31.

The Board has remanded the case to the RO for further development and adjudication on the merits due to conflicting opinions regarding the etiology of pain in the back, hips, knees, and ankles. The veteran's claims are related to service-connected varicose veins.

The Board has denied the appellant's claims for service connection for cardiovascular disease and increased ratings for chronic ligament strain of the left ankle and bilateral defective hearing. The claim for lumbosacral strain is granted with a 20% rating.

The Board found no competent medical evidence linking the veteran's current left ankle and back disorders to service, thus denying his claims for service connection.

The veteran's appeal was denied as he did not obtain prior VA authorization for the home improvements and structural alterations, which were completed without such authorization.

The Board denied service connection for residuals of a right ankle injury and denied increased ratings for postoperative residuals of a grenade wound to the right hand and cephalalgia.

The Board denied the appellant's claim for an earlier effective date for educational assistance benefits under chapter 35 of title 38, United States Code. The decision found that the earliest she could have applied was when her husband became permanently and totally disabled in 1992, which is one year before March 4, 1996, when her application was received.

The Board has determined that there is no competent medical evidence linking any of the claimed conditions to service, and thus the veteran's claims for service connection are denied.

The veteran's claim for an increased rating for his service-connected right ankle disability is denied due to his failure to report for scheduled VA examinations without good cause shown.

The Board granted service connection for right ankle disability and denied claims for left knee, low back, and left ankle disabilities. The veteran's right ankle disability is rated at 10 percent.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records from specific facilities and scheduling a VA examination to assess the current severity of the right knee disability. The claim for service connection for hepatitis and the issue regarding the right ankle disorder will be reconsidered in light of any new evidence submitted.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for hepatitis and an increased rating for his left ankle/foot condition, finding that they were not well grounded.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral pes planus, tinea pedis, a left ankle disability, and a left great toe disability. The Board found that the veteran's bilateral pes planus was not incurred or aggravated by service.

The Board has determined that the reduction from a 10 percent evaluation to a noncompensable evaluation for post-operative residuals of a bimalleolar fracture of the right ankle was proper based on clinical findings at an October 1995 VA examination.

The RO denied higher initial evaluations for the veteran's service-connected disabilities, including headaches, degenerative arthritis of the lower lumbar spine, tinnitus, residuals of a fracture of the ulna, and hemorrhoids. The claims for sinusitis, stomach disorder, labyrinthitis, otitis media, right wrist disorder, and lung disorder with sleep disturbances are not well grounded.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for loss of balance, blurred vision, headaches, numbness in the hands, pain in the hips, a bilateral knee disorder and a bilateral ankle disorder are not well grounded.

The Board found that the veteran's claims for service connection of a back disability, hip disorder, shin splints of the right leg and right ankle disability were not well-grounded.