Hip decisions — 2018

The Board has remanded the claims for a left hip disability, right knee disability, and an acquired psychiatric disorder (PTSD) due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology. The Veteran's service records indicate multiple shrapnel wounds during service in Vietnam.

The Veteran's service records do not support the presence of a TBI in service, and his current disabilities are not linked to any incident during service.,There is no evidence of a head injury or TBI in service. The Veteran’s STRs do not mention a fall or related head injury.

The Veteran's right hip disability has worsened since his last VA examination in July 2013. The Board finds a new examination is needed to determine the current severity of his condition.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a gynecological disability was reopened, and the appeal is granted. The effective date of the grant of service connection for maxillary sinusitis is denied as there were no prior claims for this condition.

The Veteran's neurological impairment of the bilateral lower extremities, diagnosed as lumbar radiculopathy, is granted service connection on a secondary basis. Service connection for left and right hip disabilities are denied due to lack of chronic disability.

Service connection is granted for a right hip disability, amputation of the second, third, and fourth fingers of the left hand, low back disability, and acquired psychiatric disorder (depression) as secondary to service-connected right knee disability.,Service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied.

The Veteran's effective dates for service connection of his left and right hip disabilities have been denied. The Board found no legal basis to grant earlier effective dates.,For the higher initial ratings, the Board has ordered a VA examination to assess the current severity of the Veteran’s hip disabilities and to obtain retrospective medical opinions.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hip disability and residuals of a head injury, finding that there was no evidence to support these claims.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for lumbar spine, right hip, and left hip disabilities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology. The VA is required to obtain Social Security Administration records and schedule the Veteran for additional examinations.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims of service connection for right knee, left wrist, and lumbar spine disabilities due to new evidence submitted since previous denials. However, it is not granted as these conditions are not found to be related to his active duty service.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims of service connection for low back, right hip, and left knee disabilities due to their relationship with his service-connected right ankle arthritis. The VA will provide new examinations to assess these conditions.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for low back and left hip disabilities due to inadequate examination reports that did not consider the Veteran's credible lay evidence of in-service injury and continuous pain.

The Board has granted service connection for PTSD. The remaining issues have been remanded due to the Veteran's failure to appear at a scheduled DRO hearing.

The Board has denied service connection for migraine headaches and remanded the cases of neck disability and left hip disability due to insufficient evidence.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to failure to report to scheduled VA examinations and because of lack of entitlement under the law. The claims will be reconsidered after new evidence is obtained.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and rating of various disabilities, including tinnitus, lumbar spine disability, hip and leg disabilities, and an acquired psychiatric disorder are remanded due to incomplete service treatment records. The Veteran is also denied a rating in excess of 10 percent for his tinnitus.

The Board denied service connection for left and right hip disabilities, as well as bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the evidence did not support a link between these conditions and active military service.

The Board has remanded the appellant's claims of service connection for bilateral knee, hip, and foot disabilities due to insufficient evidence regarding their etiology. The examiner is instructed to determine if any current knee disability clearly and unmistakably preexisted service and whether it was aggravated by service.

The Veteran's right shoulder and hip disabilities are found to be secondary to his service-connected right total knee arthroplasty. The lumbar spine disability is remanded for further examination.

Service connection is granted for sleep apnea and hypertension. Service connection is denied for high cholesterol, fibromyalgia, left shoulder disability, left hip disability, right hip disability, left knee disability, tinnitus, throat condition, respiratory condition, and acid reflux.