Hip decisions — 2015

The Board has reopened the claim of service connection for residuals of a back injury due to new evidence. The remaining claims are remanded for further development.

The Veteran has withdrawn her appeals for increased ratings for her right and left hip disabilities. The Board does not have jurisdiction to review these issues as the appeal is dismissed.

The Board has determined that further development is necessary to adjudicate the Veteran's claims, including obtaining VA treatment records and private medical records. The Veteran may have additional disabilities related to his military service which need to be evaluated.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development including obtaining VA and private treatment records, conducting a VA examination to assess the current severity of his service-connected right knee disabilities, and issuing a supplemental statement of the case if any of the benefits sought remain denied.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for a left hip disability and bilateral hearing loss have been denied. The TDIU rating claim has been granted due to the combined rating of his service-connected disabilities meeting the schedular criteria.

The Board has found that the Veteran's claimed conditions do not meet the criteria for service connection as they are unable to establish an in-service event, injury, or disease. The evidence does not support a finding of continuity of symptomatology.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for a right hip condition and granted it, finding that there is at least as likely as not that his current lumbar spine condition is related to or aggravated by his service-connected right hip condition.,A supplemental examination was ordered to provide an opinion on whether the Veteran's lumbar spine condition is related to his military service.

The Board has decided that new and material evidence has not been received to reopen the claim of service connection for a low back disability. The Veteran's right hip disability is not shown, and her stomach disorder was found to be secondary to her major depressive disorder.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal for the issues of entitlement to service connection for left shoulder and right shoulder disabilities prior to a decision being made by the Board.

The Board found that the Veteran's current left hip and knee disabilities are not related to his service, including a reported bicycle accident. The most probative evidence indicates these conditions likely arose after he left service.

The Veteran's right hip replacement was due to avascular necrosis in the joint, which had origins many years after service separation. The left lower extremity disorder is attributed to degenerative changes and healed fractures of the knee and fibula.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's left hip disability, status post L4-L5 laminectomy, left knee disability, and left foot drop are all related to service. The appeal is granted for these conditions.

The Board found that there was no evidence to support service connection for the claimed conditions, including left shoulder disability, back disability, neck disability, right hip disability, and disorders of the nose and/or sinuses. The Veteran's claims were denied as his disabilities did not meet the criteria for direct service connection.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings are being remanded due to the need for new VA examinations and the identification of additional post-service treatment records.

The Board has granted service connection for a back disability and left hip arthritis, finding that the Veteran's current symptoms are related to his military service. The left ankle disability was not found to be related to service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to inadequate VA examination opinions and the need for additional medical evidence.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for a Board hearing. The issues include service connection claims and rating disputes.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current hip disability separate from his service-connected back disability, and finds in favor of the Veteran on the issue of neurological disability. The claim for bilateral hip disability is denied, while the claim for neurological disability of both lower extremities is granted.

The Board denied service connection for cervical spine disability with neurological involvement and bilateral hip disability, finding no evidence of a nexus between the conditions and service.,There is insufficient medical evidence to establish a direct link between the Veteran's current disabilities and his military service.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claims for service connection for a bilateral hip disability and entitlement to TDIU, which constitutes a complete grant of the Veteran's claims. The issues of increased rating for back disability, initial rating in excess of 10 percent for TMJ syndrome, and service connection for left shoulder and left knee disabilities are addressed in the REMAND portion of this decision.