Hip decisions — 2015

The Veteran is seeking service connection for bilateral hip, knee, and foot disabilities as well as COPD. The Board has determined that additional development is needed to address the etiology of these conditions.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, back injury, and hip condition are not related to his military service. The claim for Meniere's syndrome is pending as it relates to a different issue.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current left hip disability is not related to his service or any service-connected conditions, and therefore denied his claim for service connection.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right knee and right hip conditions are not service-connected, as there is no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board has dismissed the appeal for nonservice-connected pension and denied service connection for tonsillitis. The Veteran's claims of service connection for a right toe condition, left hip condition, and left knee condition are remanded due to lack of medical records.

The Veteran's headaches are found to be proximately due to or the result of his service-connected benign paroxysmal position vertigo (BPPV). The Board finds that the criteria for service connection for headaches have been met.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development of records from the Social Security Administration and VA medical facilities.

The Board found that the reductions of the Veteran's disability ratings from 30 percent to 10 percent for his service-connected left hip disorder, and from 20 percent to 10 percent for his service-connected right hip disorder were proper based on evidence showing actual improvement in the overall disabilities under ordinary conditions of life.

The Board has remanded the case for further development and review of the claims, including obtaining VA treatment records from before September 2000 and arranging for medical evaluations to assess the severity of the Veteran's disabilities. The appeal will be considered on its merits after these actions.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current hip, back, hearing loss, tinnitus, headache, right upper extremity peripheral neuropathy, or left lower extremity peripheral neuropathy disability for which service connection can be granted. The claims are therefore denied.

The Board has decided to remand the case for additional development due to questions regarding the exact nature and etiology of the disabilities at issue, including private medical records that have been added to the record.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including VA examinations to address the current severity of his service-connected bilateral pes planus with plantar fasciitis and to determine the nature and etiology of his claimed hypermobility syndrome, right hip disability, bilateral second toe disability, bilateral elbow disability, bilateral leg length discrepancy, and bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome.

The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied across multiple issues related to his bilateral pes planus. The Board found that the ankle, knee and leg, hip, lumbar spondylosis, right shoulder strain, and left shoulder disabilities are not linked to his service-connected bilateral pes planus.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient medical evidence for adjudicating the service connection claim for a left hip disability. The Veteran needs an examination to determine if he has a current left hip disorder, whether it is related to his active service or to his service-connected low back disability.

The Board has restored the 40% disability rating for low back strain, effective from November 1, 2009. The Veteran's service connection claims for bilateral knee and hip disabilities are addressed in the REMAND portion of this decision.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development to obtain medical records and determine the relationship between his service-connected back disability and his right hip and bilateral knee disabilities.

The Board has ordered a supplemental opinion to address whether the Veteran's left hip disability is related to service and if it was caused or aggravated by his right knee disability.