Hip decisions — 2011

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including VA examinations and consideration of new evidence.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection due to potential aggravation of his current cervical spine, lumbar spine, and bilateral hip disabilities during Reserve duty from April 30, 2002, to March 2004. The case will be sent back to the RO for further development including a VA examination.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus, respiratory condition (COPD and asbestosis), right great toe injury residuals, and left hip condition. The decision also noted that his PTSD symptoms did not meet criteria for a disability rating in excess of 50 percent.

The Veteran's service-connected low back disability is found to be the primary cause of several secondary conditions, including sciatica, neuropathy of the feet and hands, decreased circulation in the feet and hands, restless leg syndrome, and a bilateral hip disability. The scars from his spine surgery are also recognized as related to this condition.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hip disability, including osteoarthritis, is being remanded due to the need to obtain inpatient treatment records from March Air Force Base related to his August 1969 motor vehicle accident.

The Board has found that the Veteran's bilateral hip disability, specifically osteoarthritis, was incurred during active service and is granted service connection.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for a right hip disability and bilateral knee disability due to lack of evidence supporting these conditions.

The Veteran's claim for an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for the service-connected left hip disability was denied by the RO. The Veteran had previously been granted service connection and a noncompensable initial rating effective from November 21, 2005.

The Board denied the appellant's claims of entitlement to service connection for a bilateral hip disability, low back disability, right ankle disability, left ankle disability, and sleep apnea. The appeal was decided on the merits as the issues were adjudicated under a direct service connection theory.

The Veteran's knee and hip disabilities, as well as his wrist disabilities, were not present during service or within one year of discharge. The VA examiner concluded that the current diagnoses are less likely related to military service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied as he does not currently have a disability that meets the VA definition of hearing loss. The claims for hip, low back, left knee, and left ankle disabilities are remanded to obtain treatment records from Hohenfels, Germany, and to provide an opinion regarding their etiology.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for a right shoulder disorder, low back disorder, pelvis and femur disorder, right hip condition (claimed as loss of muscle tissue of the right leg), and anemia have all been denied. The evidence does not support the presence of chronic disabilities in these areas during her military service.,The Veteran has provided no medical evidence diagnosing any current disability in these areas.

The Board has determined that recoupment of the Veteran's disability severance pay is not proper because his service-connected right lower extremity disability (peripheral vascular disease) is different from the condition for which he received disability severance pay (right hip disability).

The Veteran's right knee arthritis is service-connected, and he has a current right ankle sprain disability that warrants a 10% evaluation. The claim for service connection for a right hip disability was denied as secondary to service-connected disability.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for right knee, left knee, right hip, left hip, and low back disabilities as secondary to his service-connected bilateral pes planus due to insufficient evidence of a direct relationship between these conditions and his service.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding whether the appellant's current right hip disability is related to his active duty service, including any potential continuity of symptomatology from service. Additional development is needed, such as obtaining updated VA treatment records and possibly procuring a VA examination.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a chronic left hip disability, claimed as secondary to his service-connected right ankle disability, is being remanded due to procedural and evidentiary deficiencies.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for a left shoulder disorder and low back disorder, including as secondary to the right hip disability. The initial rating claim for the right hip disability remains before the Board.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's cervical spine disability, right shoulder disability, and left hip disability are not related to service or any service-connected conditions.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to the RO for additional development, including a VA examination and consideration of secondary service connection theories. The case will be returned to the Board after completion of these actions.