Hip decisions — 2012

The Veteran's service-connected allergic rhinitis is manifested by a right maxillary nasal polyp, and the Board has granted a 30 percent evaluation under Diagnostic Code 6522.

The Veteran's claims for service connection on the merits were denied. The appeal is mixed as some issues were granted and others were not.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for additional records from Social Security Administration (SSA). The Veteran's claims for service connection and non-service connected pension are pending.

The Board denied service connection for depression and a bilateral hip condition, claiming as arthritis. The evidence did not support the Veteran's assertions of in-service onset or continuity of symptoms.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining service treatment records and verifying the Veteran's periods of active duty, ADSW, and ACDUTRA. The Veteran is seeking service connection for bilateral hearing loss, a back disability, a right hip disability, and left groin pain.

The Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for bilateral knee and hip disabilities are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for right hip and right knee disabilities are being remanded due to the need for further medical clarification regarding their etiology.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for left knee and left hip disabilities due to incomplete SSA records, need for a supplemental medical opinion regarding aggravation of current disabilities by service-connected right knee disability, and other procedural issues.

The Board found that there is no evidence of a chronic bilateral hip disability during service or within the applicable presumptive period, and thus denied the Veteran's claim for service connection.

The Veteran seeks service connection for a chronic left hip disability and compensation benefits under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151 for postoperative complications of an umbilical hernia repair. The case is being REMANDED to obtain additional medical evidence, including VA orthopedic and plastic surgery examinations.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including scheduling a video hearing before the Board at the RO level.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating of the left hip disability was granted, with a final effective date of July 25, 2011. The Veteran's service-connected right knee disorder is considered to be secondary to her left hip disability.

The Board found that the Veteran's claimed bilateral hip disability was not present during active duty or for many years thereafter and did not find a link between his service and any current hip condition.

The Board found that any low back and right hip disorders are not related to service or a disease/injury of service origin.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for a back disability and hip disability, finding that there is no evidence of a chronic condition during or within one year after service, and that any current conditions are not related to service.

The Veteran's lumbar spine disability is found to be service-connected. The cervical, left leg, right leg, left hip, and right hip disabilities are not service-connected.

The Veteran's bilateral hip disability, fractures of the right mid tibia and fibula, and right hand disability (arthritis) were not found to be service-connected. The Veteran's degenerative disc disease was granted an increased rating.

The Board found no evidence of any relationship between the Veteran's current left hip disability and his active duty service, thus denying his claim for service connection.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability was denied. The Board found no credible evidence of in-service psychiatric symptoms and the record does not establish a current diagnosis.,The issue of whether new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen the right hip disability claim was administratively denied.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to obtain medical records and ensure a complete record for the Veteran's claims. The Veteran's right hip and lumbar spine disabilities are at issue, with an initial rating in excess of 10 percent sought.