Hip decisions — 2011

The Veteran's claim for an effective date before July 25, 2007, for the grant of service connection for a right hip disability is denied as there was no prior unadjudicated claim or pending claim of service connection for a right hip disability before July 2007.

The Board has found no evidence of a chronic gastrointestinal disorder, to include GERD, IBS, hiatal hernia, and acid reflux, during the appeal period. Therefore, service connection for these conditions is denied.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not currently suffer from Cushing's Syndrome and her other claimed disabilities are not related to service.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for additional development, including obtaining service treatment records and scheduling VA examinations.

The Board denied the reopening of a service connection claim for a left hip disability due to lack of new and material evidence.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development of his claims, including obtaining updated medical records and arranging for an orthopedic examination to assess the current severity of his left hip, left ankle, and bilateral knee disabilities.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for additional development, including a VA examination, to determine the etiology of his claimed disabilities and their relationship to service.

The Board has granted service connection for low back strain, left hip disability, and acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD, generalized anxiety disorder, depression, and adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depressed mood). The Veteran's right foot and left foot disabilities are also found to be related to his military service.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim of service connection for a low back disability and remanded his right hip disability claim for further development.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been reopened, and the Board finds that new and material evidence has been submitted to support his claims. The effective date of service connection is not addressed in this decision.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development of the record, including obtaining pertinent medical records and arranging for an examination to determine the etiology of his claimed bilateral hip and low back disabilities.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for right leg, right knee, right hip, and low back disabilities are being remanded due to the need to obtain additional VA treatment records and Social Security Administration (SSA) records.

The Veteran's petition to reopen service connection for a left hip disability has been granted. The underlying claim on the merits, as well as the issue of service connection for a right hip disability, are addressed in the REMAND portion of this decision.,Service connection for a bilateral ankle disability remains denied.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection have been denied.,The claim of new and material evidence to reopen a left knee disability has also been denied.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for a right hip disability with right lower extremity sciatic nerve palsy, finding that there was no credible evidence linking his current disabilities to his military service.

The Board found no evidence of a current hip, leg, or foot disability that is causally related to service. The Veteran's bilateral pes planus was not aggravated by service-connected disability and his claimed disabilities are not secondary to his service-connected back disability.

The Veteran's appeal is denied as her claims for service connection are not supported by the evidence of record.,The Veteran was granted service connection for depression, but denied service connection for PTSD.

The Veteran's right hip disability is currently rated at 10 percent, and the Board finds that this rating adequately compensates for his functional loss due to painful motion. The cervical spine disability has not been service connected.

The RO has granted evaluations of 20 percent, 10 percent and 10 percent for the left hip disability manifested by limitation of abduction, extension and flexion, respectively, effective September 28, 2009.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including VA examinations to determine the nature and etiology of his claimed disabilities.