Hip decisions — 2013

The Board has reopened the claim for service connection for irritable bowel syndrome. Service connection is granted for a lumbar spine disability, depressive disorder with anxiety, and bilateral ankle, knee, hip, wrist, elbow, and shoulder disabilities due to undiagnosed illness or in-service exposure.

The Veteran is seeking service connection for his current low back, right hip and right knee disabilities as secondary to his service-connected fracture of the right tibia and fibula. The Board has determined that further development is necessary before a final decision can be made.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining a new opinion on his employability and reviewing the claims file to ensure all relevant evidence has been considered.

The Veteran's claims are being remanded for further development to determine the etiology and service connection status of his claimed disabilities, including whether they are related to pre-existing conditions or incurred during service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling the Veteran for a VA examination to determine if his current right hip, left hip, or low back disability may be secondary to his service-connected bilateral knee disabilities.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a back disability and bilateral hip disability, finding no new and material evidence to reopen the claim for a back disability and concluding that the bilateral hip disability is not related to any service-connected condition.

The Board found that there is no current evidence of a right hip disability, and thus denied the Veteran's claim for service connection.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a bilateral hip condition, claimed as secondary to his service-connected low back and right knee disabilities, is being remanded due to conflicting opinions on the etiology of the hip condition. The Board seeks clarification on whether the hip disorder was caused or aggravated by the service-connected conditions.

The Board has remanded the claims due to incomplete development of records from private healthcare providers and VA clinics. The Veteran is advised to provide authorization for these records.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to incomplete records and further examination.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal regarding the claims of service connection for PTSD and a bilateral hip condition prior to the Board's decision.

The Veteran's bilateral hip disability was not incurred or aggravated by his active duty service, nor is it proximately due to or the result of a service-connected disability.

The Board has granted service connection for a bilateral wrist disability, diagnosed as Keinbocks disease. The Veteran's current right hip and bilateral ankle disabilities are not currently diagnosed.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for scheduling a Board hearing by video conference. The issues of entitlement to service connection for various conditions are not addressed as the appeal is in process.

The Board granted an earlier effective date for the 10 percent rating for this postoperative scar from the right hip resurfacing surgery, making it retroactive to January 16, 2009. The Veteran will receive a little more than a year's worth of additional compensation at the 10-percent rate.

The Veteran's appeal for restoration of a 40 percent rating for left knee degenerative joint disease was granted. The RO reduced the rating from 40 to 30 percent effective July 1, 2008, and the Veteran is seeking restoration of the original rating.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to obtain service treatment records and VA treatment records, as well as to schedule the Veteran for examinations. The claims will be remanded for these actions.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have any service-connected disabilities, and therefore cannot establish service connection for his claimed conditions.

The Board has remanded the case due to outstanding records and a need for further examination.

The Board has found new and material evidence to reopen the Veteran's claims for service connection of low back, left shoulder, and left hip disabilities. However, it did not find new and material evidence to reopen his claim for service connection of a neck disability.