Hip decisions — 2018

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings due to inadequate opinions regarding his hip disabilities, as well as insufficient examinations of his lumbar spine and left knee conditions.

The Board has determined that the VA examiner's opinions were inadequate and remanded for further development. The Veteran's claims of service connection for right hip disability, pelvic fracture residuals, and low back disability are now pending.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral foot, right knee, and left hip disabilities due to incomplete development. The appeals are now considered on appeal from original claim of service connection.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection for a back disability, left hip disability, and urinary tract infections due to the need for additional development.

The Board denied reopening of the claims for bilateral hip, left knee, and right knee disabilities due to lack of new and material evidence.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions regarding the nature and etiology of various conditions, including bilateral knee disability, heart disability, inflammatory joint disability (gout), left shoulder disability, bilateral hip disability, and skin disability. The issues are related to direct service connection rather than presumptive exposure.

The Veteran's claims for right hip, left hip, and lower extremity radiculopathy disabilities have been denied. The effective date of service connection is fixed at the date of receipt of claim.,The Veteran's sleep apnea and hypertension disabilities were not incurred or aggravated by service.

The Board has denied service connection for left hip, right hip, left knee, and right knee disabilities due to a lack of evidence linking these conditions to the Veteran's military service.

The Board has determined that additional development is necessary for the Veteran's claims of service connection for right hip disability, increased rating for chronic lumbar sprain disability, and increased rating for residuals of a fractured left foot disability.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral pes planus, low back disability, hip disorders, knee disorders, and ankle disorders due to incomplete service treatment records. The claims are inextricably intertwined with the claim for bilateral pes planus.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's current right hip disability, finding that it is secondary to an in-service injury. The back disability issue was remanded due to inadequate examination.

The Board has remanded the cases of service connection for bilateral hip disability, spinal curvature (spine disability), and bilateral knee disability due to lack of a nexus opinion. The Veteran's representative asserts that the June 2018 VA opinion was inadequate as it did not consider the Veteran's lay statements.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been reopened and are being remanded due to the need for additional examinations.,The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the Veteran’s claims of service connection for a right knee disability, seizure disorder, cervical spine disability, lumbar spine disability, right hip disability, left hip disability, right knee disability, left knee disability, sleep apnea, TBI, headaches, seizure disorder, and an acquired psychiatric disorder.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's claims for service connection for left knee and left hip disabilities, including as secondary to his service-connected right hip and/or right knee disabilities, need further development. The case is being sent back to the VA for additional examination and evaluation.

The Veteran's claims for reopening service connection for left hip and left ankle disabilities have been granted. The Board has also remanded several issues including service connection for thyroid cancer, breast mass, arthritis, chronic fatigue syndrome, sleep apnea, hypertension, digestive disorder, respiratory condition, upper back/neck disability, migraine headaches, and others.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various disabilities, including a right shoulder disability and TBI residuals, were denied. The claim for service connection for the right shoulder was reopened due to new evidence, but the claim is still denied as there is no credible evidence of an in-service injury or current condition related to service.

The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 70% prior to February 18, 2014. The Board has granted a higher rating for PTSD but has remanded the issue of service connection for a right hip disability.

The Veteran's initial 100 percent rating for mood disorder is granted, and the effective date of September 15, 2010 for Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA) benefits under Chapter 35, Title 38 of the United States Code is also granted. The increased rating for left knee disability, right hip disability, and left hip disability claims are remanded.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for a lumbar spine disorder and bilateral hip disability, finding that there is no evidence linking these conditions to his active service or any other service-connected condition. The Board also found that the Veteran's current complaints do not indicate the presence of a bilateral hip disability.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding whether the appellant's current right hip disability, including arthritis, is related to his in-service injury. The VA needs to obtain an addendum opinion from a clinician.