Hip decisions — 2006

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a left hip disability and peripheral neuropathy, both claimed as secondary to his service-connected bilateral hallux valgus. The evidence does not support a finding that these conditions are related to his period of active service or to his service-connected condition.

The Board is remanding the case for additional development, including obtaining medical records and Social Security Administration (SSA) disability decisions. The veteran's claims will be reconsidered after these steps are completed.

The Board found that the veteran's pes planus pre-existed his entrance into both periods of active duty military service and did not increase in severity during either period. The claims for secondary service connection for back, bilateral hip, bilateral knee, and bilateral ankle conditions were denied as there was no legal basis to establish such connections.

The veteran withdrew his appeals for increased disability ratings above the existing 30 percent for a right knee disability and 30 percent for a right hip disability.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for right hip and right knee disabilities, finding no evidence to support a link between these conditions and his active duty service.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have current low back or right hip disabilities, and his depression is not service-connected. The claims for secondary service connection are therefore denied.

The Board has granted service connection for a right shoulder disability. The veteran's current shoulder disability is related to an in-service injury, and the medical evidence supports this finding.

The Board has denied the veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for a right hip disability, as secondary to his already service-connected right gluteal scar. The VA medical opinions provided did not support a causal relationship between the service-connected condition and the current right hip disability.

The VA denied the veteran's claims for higher initial evaluations for her sacroiliitis and scar, status post ACL surgery. The VA found that the conditions did not meet the criteria for a higher rating under the applicable diagnostic codes.

The Board found that the veteran's bilateral hip disability is not proximately due to or the result of his service-connected right knee disorder. The evidence does not support a finding that the hip condition was aggravated by the knee disorder.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected bilateral knee and foot disabilities, finding that there was no evidence of a direct link between these conditions and his service or any service-connected disability. The Board also found that the veteran did not have a diagnosed bilateral hip disorder.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected right hip and lumbar spine disabilities, finding that the evidence did not meet the criteria for a higher rating under the applicable VA rating schedule.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to the need to obtain SSA medical evidence.

The veteran's claim for an increased rating for his service-connected left hip disability is being remanded to the RO for further medical inquiry and consideration of whether separate ratings for different ranges of motion may be assigned.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claimed chronic left hip condition is not related to service or his service-connected chronic lumbar strain, and thus denied the claim.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a current diagnosis of any of the conditions he is seeking service connection for, and therefore, these claims are denied.

The Board found no evidence of in-service injuries or conditions that could be linked to the veteran's current disabilities. The claims for service connection were denied.

The Board denied service connection for a low back disability, psychiatric disability (claimed as depression), migraine headaches, left hip disability, and left knee disability. The reasons were that the claimed conditions are not shown to be related to service.

The Board has determined that further development is needed before the claims can be decided.

The Board has determined that the veteran's right knee and bilateral hip disabilities were not incurred or aggravated by service, nor are they related to his service-connected disability. As a result, the claims for service connection have been denied.