Hip decisions — 2008

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining medical records and providing a VA examination to determine if the veteran's hip conditions are related to service.

The Board has granted service connection for hypertension, finding that it was first manifested in service and is the result of a disease or injury incurred in service. The veteran's other claims are addressed in the REMAND portion.

The Board denied service connection for chronic disabilities of the low back and left hip as secondary to the veteran's service-connected postoperative Osgood-Schlatter's disease of the left knee, finding no competent clinical evidence linking these conditions.

The Board denied the veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hip and knee disabilities, finding no current pathology to support these claims.

The Board found that the veteran does not have a present right hip disability and denied service connection for this condition.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded due to confusion regarding his desire for a personal hearing. The case will be returned to the RO for appropriate action.

The Board denied the veteran's claims of service connection for left knee and right hip disabilities, finding that there was no evidence linking these conditions to his active military service or any other presumptive exposure basis. The Board also found insufficient new and material evidence to reopen the claim for right hip disability.

The case is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical records and making a formal finding regarding the effect of the other than honorable discharge on the veteran's claims. A VA examination will also be scheduled to determine the current nature and likely etiology of the claimed back disability.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining records from SSA and a medical opinion regarding the veteran's left foot disability. The issues of service connection and TDIU are inextricably intertwined and will be addressed together.

The Board has granted the veteran's claim for service connection of a right hip condition as secondary to his service-connected residuals of a right ankle sprain.

The veteran's fungal disorder of the feet and toenails was found to have begun during service, resulting in a grant of service connection.

The veteran's PTSD and low back disability were granted, while his hemorrhoids and hip disabilities did not meet the criteria for service connection.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate examination and a need for further development, including a VA orthopedic examination.

The Board has remanded the veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for right hip and right knee conditions due to incomplete information provided by the veteran regarding his in-service injury. The case must be readjudicated after obtaining additional evidence, including personnel records from U.S. Army and JSRRC.

The veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including bilateral blurry vision with a right eye cataract, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and hip disability were denied. The Board found that the current disabilities are not related to service.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a current disability for which service connection can be granted in relation to his right hip, upper extremity neuropathy, twitching of eyelids, skin disorder, or chronic cough and shortness of breath.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including cervical spine strain with degenerative disc disease, thoracolumbosacral spine strain with degenerative changes, tension headaches, right upper and left upper extremity carpal tunnel syndromes, an acquired psychiatric disorder (including depression, dysthymia, and bipolar disorder), right shoulder disability, left shoulder disability, right knee disability, and right hip disability. The Board found that the veteran's pre-existing right knee disability was not aggravated by service.

The Board has denied the veteran's claim for compensation benefits under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151 due to insufficient evidence in the record, particularly regarding the medical records from his hospitalization at VA Medical Center (VAMC) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

The veteran's service-connected right hip and right knee disabilities have not met the criteria for higher initial evaluations prior to June 23, 2006, or after that date. The veteran's left patella disability is also service connected but does not meet the criteria for a rating in excess of 10 percent.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, finding no current evidence of these disabilities and concluding that they were not related to his military service.