Hip decisions — 2017

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hip disability did not originate in service or within a year of service, is not otherwise etiologically related to her active service, and was not caused or chronically worsened by a service-connected disability. Therefore, the claim for service connection for a bilateral hip disability is denied.

The Veteran's right hip disability is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining service personnel records and a police incident report regarding her injury in 1979. The Board will then review the claim on appeal.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claims of service connection for right hip, left hip, right knee, and left knee disabilities. The evidence is in favor of finding that these conditions are related to service.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection on the issues of high cholesterol, hypertension, sleep apnea, plantar fasciitis of the left foot, right knee disability, low back disability, bilateral shoulder disability, and bilateral elbow disability have been dismissed due to withdrawal by the Veteran at his hearing. The appeal for service connection on the issue of right hip disability is remanded.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeals regarding the issues of whether new and material evidence has been received to reopen service connection for a right knee disability, service connection for a low back disability, a left hip disability, a right hip disability, a left foot disability, a right foot disability, bladder cancer, and PTSD.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's cervical spine, right hip, and left hip disabilities did not have their onset during service or within one year after separation. The VA examiners found no evidence of a link between these conditions and service or service-connected disabilities.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a chronic right knee or right hip disability, and therefore service connection for these conditions is denied.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims for service connection for right groin injury and bilateral hip condition, finding that new evidence supports reopening of these claims. The claim is granted as secondary to a right groin injury.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's left hip disability is not related to his military service and therefore denied his claim.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for low back disability, sciatic nerve impairment, bilateral hip disability, and bilateral knee disability. The claim for residuals of a cold injury to the right hand is pending.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hip conditions and a right shoulder condition, finding that there is sufficient evidence to establish that these conditions are causally related to his military service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for back, cervical spine, and right leg disabilities. The claim for a right hip disability was not addressed in this decision.,The Board found that there is no evidence showing any chronic conditions related to the Veteran's claimed disabilities during his active duty or within one year after discharge.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right shoulder and right hip disabilities are not service-connected, as there is no evidence to support a connection between these conditions and his military service. The Veteran's left knee disability remains in effect.

The Board has remanded the service connection matters for additional development based upon the Veteran's Southwest Asia Theater of Operations (SWATO) service. The Veteran is seeking to establish service connection for his hip, knee, and ankle disabilities as due to an undiagnosed illness or fibromyalgia.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional examinations and development of his claims.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a bilateral hip disability, low back disorder, and neck disorder. The issues were remanded multiple times but have not been fully addressed.

The Veteran's hypertension was granted service connection effective April 16, 2011. The Board also found that the Veteran is unemployable due to his PTSD since September 2004 and assigned a TDIU rating prior to March 10, 2009.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including new examinations and a nexus opinion regarding the Veteran's service connection claim for a bilateral hip disability. The issues on appeal include claims for increased ratings for right shoulder, lumbar spine, and right knee disabilities, as well as a TDIU claim.

The Veteran's appeal was dismissed due to his death, and no jurisdiction remains for the Board to adjudicate the merits of the case.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeal concerning the issues of entitlement to service connection for a low back disability, entitlement to service connection for a right hip disability, and entitlement to service connection for a shortened right leg.