Hip decisions — 2018

The Veteran's heart condition, vision loss, back conditions, lower extremity radiculopathy, cervical spinal stenosis, right hip condition, kidney failure, arthritis, fibromyalgia, shoulder pain, varicose veins, carpal tunnel syndrome, and restless leg syndrome are all related to service exposure to hazardous chemicals. The Veteran must be provided with a VA examination for each issue.,The Veteran's major depressive disorder, patellofemoral pain syndrome of the left knee, bilateral sensorineural hearing loss, allergic rhinitis, and mild recurrent major depressive disorder, with moderate generalized anxiety disorder and panic disorder are all related to service exposure to hazardous chemicals. The Veteran must be provided with a VA examination for each issue.

The Veteran's neurocognitive disorder is granted as service-connected, and he receives a separate 20% rating for radiculopathy of the right lower extremity. Other claims are denied.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to adjudicate the Veteran's claims for service connection due to incomplete medical records and the need for further examinations.

The Veteran's claims for left lower extremity, lumbar spine, bilateral ear, skin or skin cancer, and psychiatric disabilities are remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations.,The Veteran's claim for nasal fracture residuals is also remanded as he has not been provided a VA examination.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for a right hip disability and entitlement to a temporary total evaluation due to surgical or other treatment necessitating convalescence for a right hip disability. The Veteran's right hip disability is alleged to be aggravated by his service-connected right knee strain and left knee patella malalignment.

Service connection for a left leg disability is granted. Service connection for a right hip disability, to include as secondary to service-connected low back disability, and tinnitus (to include as secondary to service-connected coronary artery disease or hypertension) are remanded.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's low back disability, bilateral hip disability, bilateral knee disability, and left ankle disability. The Board found that these disabilities are related to the Veteran's in-service parachute jumps.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations and opinions.

The Board has determined that further development is necessary to adjudicate the Veteran's claims for service connection of her right knee, left hip, and left big toe disabilities due to their potential relationship with her service-connected left knee disability.

The Veteran's bilateral hip disability and right lower extremity radiculopathy have been granted service connection. However, the claims for increased evaluations and TDIU are being remanded due to outstanding development needs.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings were denied as he failed to report for scheduled VA examinations without good cause. The Board found that the failure to appear at the examinations resulted in a denial of his claims.

The Board has remanded three issues related to service connection for low back, right hip, and right knee disabilities due to the inadequate nature of previous VA examinations. The new examination is needed to determine if these conditions are aggravated by a service-connected left knee disability.

The Veteran's claim for service connection of a right hip disability, secondary to his service-connected right ankle sprain is denied as there is no evidence of current right hip disability.,The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for chronic right ankle sprain with degenerative joint disease (DJD) is also denied as the disability does not warrant more than 10 percent evaluation.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development and examination to determine if the Veteran has a diagnosable low back or left hip disability, as well as an increase in PTSD prior to February 5, 2016. The VA will also obtain all relevant medical records and schedule examinations.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been granted, but the Board has found that new and material evidence was received to reopen his right knee disability claim. The Veteran is also granted service connection for left hand and mental health conditions. However, the Board has remanded cases related to right hip and shoulder disabilities due to insufficient medical opinions.

The Veteran's right knee instability and left hip disability have been rated as 10 percent disabling. The appeal for higher ratings has been denied.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for warts of the left-hand is denied as he has not been diagnosed with a discernable disability. Claims for hypertension, cervical spine disability, left hip disability, right hip disability, and neuropathy of the right lower extremity are also denied.

The Board has decided to remand the cases of service connection for left and right hip disabilities due to insufficient information from a previous VA examiner's opinion. The Veteran needs to provide updated medical records, including those from private providers, and an orthopedic examination is required.

The Veteran's service connection claim for a left hip disability (trochanteric bursitis) is remanded due to the need for an additional medical examination and consideration of new evidence.

The Board has reopened the claim for service connection of a right knee disability due to new and material evidence. However, it is denied as there is no current diagnosis of arthritis and the examiner found that the Veteran's in-service injuries had healed.