Hip decisions — 2007

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection, finding no evidence of entitlement to a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss.

The veteran's claims for stomach disorder, right hip disability, sore joints (groin pain), erectile dysfunction, irritable bowel syndrome, fatigue, and inability to sleep are on appeal. The case is being referred back to the RO for additional development of records and possible VA examinations.

The veteran's appeal is remanded for further development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling a VA examination to assess his disabilities. The RO must then assign disability ratings based on the evidence.

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to a violation of Stegall v. West, 11 Vet. App. 268 (1998). The veteran is required to report for a VA examination and cooperate in the development of his claim.

The Board denied service connection for left knee, right knee, left hip, lower back, and neck disabilities as they are not shown to be related to active duty.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining missing VA medical records and scheduling C&P examinations to address the veteran's hip, leg, eye, ear, and skin conditions.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for an effective date earlier than August 1, 2004 for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) due to his left hip disability. The TDIU was granted effective August 1, 2004.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for low back disability, right hip disability, and left hip disability. The evidence does not support a finding that these disabilities are related to military service.

The veteran's service connection claims for PTSD and left leg, side, and hip disability were denied. The claim for increased rating for DJD of the right knee was also denied.,The VA determined that there is no evidence showing that pre-existing asthma was aggravated during his period of military service.

The veteran's claims for hip disability, AV malformation status post left parietal craniotomy, sleep disorder, and alcoholism were all denied. The claim for back disability was not granted due to a final denial.

The Board has determined that the veteran's back and bilateral hip disabilities are not related to his service-connected knee disabilities, and thus denied both claims.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for chronic renal failure, right hip disability, and right knee disability. The evidence does not support a finding that these conditions were incurred or aggravated by military service.

The Board has determined that the current medical evidence is incongruous and requires additional development, including a VA examination to determine if any diagnosed right hip disorder is related to service. The veteran's TDIU claim will also be remanded for further review.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to incomplete records and failure to provide proper notice.

The veteran's appeals for increased ratings for bilateral hearing loss and service connection for right hip disability, including arthritis, a back disability, tinnitus, and disability exhibited by night sweats and tremors have been withdrawn.

The veteran's appeal includes multiple issues related to his service-connected and non-service-connected disabilities, including a request for increased rating for flat feet, as well as claims for various other conditions. The case is being remanded for additional development.

The Board found no evidence linking the veteran's current tinnitus, hearing loss, muscle spasms, leg disability, right upper extremity disability, or right hip disability to his military service. The claims for these conditions were denied.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a hip condition and an initial evaluation for right leg shortening. The hip condition claim was denied as there is no evidence of a nexus between the current hip condition and service, while the right leg shortening claim was also denied due to lack of medical evidence establishing a relationship with the service-connected lumbar disc disease.

The veteran's claims for service connection for various disabilities, including memory loss, bilateral hip and knee disabilities, elbow disability, and shoulder and thoracic spine disabilities, were denied as they are not considered to be due to undiagnosed illness or a medically unexplained chronic multisymptom illness.

The veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to inadequate VCAA notice and the need to obtain additional medical records. The case will be readjudicated after these actions.