Hip decisions — 2016

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and a new VA examination to assess the severity of his service-connected lumbar spine disability.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's low back, left hip, and right hip disabilities are related to her active service. The claims for these conditions have been granted.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right foot, left foot, left hip, right hip, left knee, and right knee disabilities are all service-connected.,The Veteran's low back disability and cervical spine disability were also found to be service-connected.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining an addendum VA opinion on the etiology of the Veteran's left hip disability and a VA opinion on the effect of his service-connected disabilities on his employability.

The Board found that the Veteran's claimed disabilities, including right knee, left knee, right ankle, left ankle, right hip, left hip, and lower back disabilities, did not originate in service or until years after service. The Veteran was not exposed to herbicides during his active duty.

The Board granted service connection for a low back disability and assigned a 70 percent rating for PTSD. The Veteran's neck, left hip, and bilateral knee disabilities were also found to be related to service.

The Board found that the Veteran's left hip disability did not meet or approximate the criteria for a rating in excess of 10 percent, as his range of motion was within limits and no additional functional impairment due to pain, weakened movement, excess fatigability, incoordination, and flare-ups was shown.

The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hip disability did not have its clinical onset in service and is not otherwise related to active duty or secondary to service-connected disability.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn due to the appellant's request for withdrawal prior to the Board's decision.

The Board has granted service connection for low back and bilateral hip disabilities as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected right knee disability. The effective date of this grant is February 19, 2015.

The Board denied service connection for the Veteran's claimed bilateral foot/toe disabilities, right hip disability, left hip disability, right shoulder disability, left shoulder disability, and left knee disability as secondary to his service-connected left nephrectomy with scar. The Board found that there was no evidence linking these conditions to service or a service-connected condition.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining updated VA treatment records and Social Security Administration records. The Veteran's representative suggested an addendum opinion regarding his GERD claim.

The Board has determined that there is no evidence of a nexus between the Veteran's current cervical spine, low back, bilateral hip, and upper extremity neuropathy disabilities and his military service. The repetitive lifting and handling of heavy objects during active duty are not considered to have caused or aggravated any of these conditions.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a hip disability and an acquired psychiatric condition, including PTSD, depression, and anxiety, was denied as there is no current evidence of these conditions. The Veteran does not have a current hip disability or any diagnosed psychiatric condition.

The Veteran's right hip and bilateral knee disabilities were not found to be related to his service or a service-connected disability. The appeal for an initial rating higher than 30 percent for the right leg disability was withdrawn by the Veteran.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hip disability is not related to his service, and thus denied his claim for service connection.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including additional examinations and opinions to address the severity of his service-connected psychiatric and muscle disabilities, as well as claims for service connection for lumbar spine, cervical spine, hip, knee, or ankle disabilities.

The Board has remanded the case to the RO for scheduling a new VA examination and opinion regarding the Veteran's left hip disability.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including new examinations and consideration of his claims for service connection and increased evaluation.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's right shoulder, left shoulder, back, and right hip disabilities based on reopening of previously denied claims due to new evidence. The effective date is not specified as it was reopened.