Hip decisions — 2006

The Board has determined that the veteran's left knee and hip disabilities were not incurred in or aggravated by service, nor are they proximately due to or the result of a service-connected disability. The claim for service connection is denied.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased rating of his right knee disability and service connection for low back and hip disabilities, both claimed as secondary to his right knee condition.

The VA has denied an increased rating for the service-connected left hip disability, currently rated at 30 percent.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for DJD of the left knee, status post knee replacement; DJD of the right knee; a hip condition; and an inner head injury (aphasia/possible stroke). The Board found that these conditions were not incurred in or aggravated by service.

The veteran's appeal of the May 2002 rating decision regarding his left hip disability was not timely filed, and as a result, the Board lacks jurisdiction to consider the merits of these issues.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining updated medical examinations to assess the severity of his knee and hip disabilities and their relationship to his service-connected right knee disability.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for cardiac chamber enlargement, bilateral pes planus (claimed as left foot pain), impotence (claimed as left foot pain), chondromalacia and a torn meniscus of the left knee, and a left hip condition. The claim for an increased rating for ilioinguinal nerve neuropathy was also denied.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a current diagnosis of left hip, knee, or ankle conditions and finds no evidence to support service connection for these disabilities.

The Board has granted service connection for chronic lumbar strain with degenerative disc disease and degenerative joint disease, effective from January 25, 2005. The veteran's depression is not related to a service-connected disability, and his left wrist, hip, and knee disabilities are not shown to be caused by or aggravated by service or a service-connected condition.

The Board has ordered further development regarding service connection for a left hip disability due to the possibility of calcific capsulitis. The case is now remanded for additional examination and analysis.

The Board has granted service connection for left knee and hip disabilities secondary to the veteran's right ankle disability, but denied an increased rating for his right ankle disability. The decision also found that the veteran's current left knee and hip conditions are not related to his right ankle disability.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a current diagnosis of cervical spine or bilateral hip disability, and thus service connection for these conditions is denied.

The Board has granted the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and secondary service connection for right hip disability and left hip disability, both related to his service-connected residuals of bilateral calcaneal fractures. The effective date is not specified.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen the veteran's claims for service connection for degenerative disc disease of the cervical spine, degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, and a right hip condition. However, the Board found insufficient evidence to establish service connection for any of these conditions.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection of right hip disability as secondary to his service-connected right knee disability and left knee bipartite patella. The decision is final due to lack of appeal, and new and material evidence has not been received since the last denial.

The VA examiner found no evidence of arthritis in the left hip, and thus denied service connection for a left hip disability as secondary to the veteran's service-connected right hip disability.

The Board found that the evidence did not demonstrate a link between the veteran's bilateral hip disability and his military service, thus denying the claim for service connection.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for multiple joint arthralgias, bilateral hip disability, bilateral knee disability, low back disability, chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), allergic rhinitis, and urinary tract infection (UTI) due to a lack of evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's hip, knee, and foot conditions are service-connected based on direct evidence of in-service injury and current disability.

The Board has decided to remand the case for further development due to additional evidence and argument received from the veteran.