Hip decisions — 2012

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's low back disability, finding that it was incurred in service and is a congenital disease. The right hip disability claim is pending as it is inextricably intertwined with the low back claim.

The Veteran is seeking service connection for various disabilities, including shoulder, hip, knee, and psychiatric conditions. The case has been remanded due to the need to obtain additional evidence from Social Security Administration.

The Board has remanded the case due to a lack of hearing transcript and the need for issuance of a supplemental statement of the case (SSOC) after receiving new evidence from a VA examination.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed in order to fully consider the appellant's claims, including obtaining clinical records from a VA medical center and scheduling a VA examination for his hip disability. The appeal will be remanded for these actions.

The Board found that the Veteran does not have current disabilities of a bilateral hip, right wrist, or bilateral eye condition for VA compensation purposes. The claims were denied as there was no evidence of a chronic disability related to service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right hip and right knee disabilities, including as secondary to service-connected low back disability, are not related to his military service. Additionally, the Veteran's cervical spine disability is found to be unrelated to service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hip disability is not causally related to or permanently worsened by his service-connected lumbar spine disability, and thus denied the claim for secondary service connection.

The Veteran's appeal was dismissed due to his death, and the Board has no jurisdiction to adjudicate the merits of this claim.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various musculoskeletal and neurologic disabilities, including hip disability, low back disability, peripheral neuropathy/radiculopathy of the lower extremities, neck disability, bilateral knee disability, cervical radiculopathy, right thumb sprain residuals, left ankle sprain residuals, and dermatitis have been denied. The Veteran's service-connected left ankle disability is not considered to be a proximate cause of these disabilities.

The Board has determined that a remand is necessary to obtain additional medical opinions regarding the Veteran's bilateral hip disability and his service-connected low back strain with chronic facet arthritis of the lumbar spine.

The Board denied service connection for a left knee disability, as well as secondary claims for right and left hip disabilities. The Veteran's left tripartite or bipartite patella was found to be congenital and not related to military service.

The Board found no evidence of a chronic right shoulder, hip, or jaw disability during service or for many years thereafter and thus denied the claims for service connection.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including hypoglycemia, hypertension, cataracts, gallbladder removal, pes planus, left elbow and knee disabilities, left ankle and thigh disabilities, right knee and hip disabilities, lumbar spine and cervical spine disabilities, abnormal blood count, elevated cholesterol/triglycerides, ear pain, and rash on the back. The Board found that these conditions were not incurred or aggravated by service or due to a service-connected disability.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including a new examination to assess the current severity of the Veteran's sternal pain secondary to degenerative changes of the sternomanubrial joint and to determine the nature, etiology and onset of the Veteran's right hip disability. The TDIU claim is also being referred for consideration.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to obtain outstanding VA outpatient treatment records and to associate the evidence submitted at the June 2008 DRO hearing. The case will be remanded for these actions.

The Veteran's claims for increased evaluations of his lumbar spine, right hip, and right knee disabilities were denied. The Board found no basis to assign staged ratings as the evidence did not show that a higher rating was warranted for any distinct period(s) of time.

The Board found no evidence to support the Veteran's claims of service connection for left ankle, left hip, and low back disabilities. The preponderance of the evidence reflects that he does not have these conditions due to his active duty service or any service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's low back, hip and migraine headaches disabilities were not shown to be related to service. The Board denied the claims for service connection.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased evaluation of his right knee disability, as well as secondary service connection for left hip and left knee conditions are being remanded due to the need for additional development including a new VA examination.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling a VA examination.