Hip decisions — 2018

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for various knee and hip disabilities, as well as bilateral hearing loss. The claims will be reviewed based on new evidence provided by the Veteran during her recent hearing.

The Veteran's service connection claims for various conditions are denied as the evidence does not support a relationship between his current disabilities and his military service.,Service connection cannot be granted based on herbicide exposure, as there is no credible evidence that he was exposed to such agents during his service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection due to unclear medical findings and lack of a current diagnosis. The right hip and knee conditions are being reviewed, but further examination is needed.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including right knee, cervical spine, lumbar spine, bilateral hip, ankle, CTS, and left knee disabilities. The claims are being remanded for further development, including obtaining updated VA medical records and conducting additional VA examinations.

The Veteran's appeal for a total disability rating due to individual unemployability (TDIU) has been dismissed as he withdrew his appeal. The Board also referred the issues of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hip and knee conditions, secondary to the right ankle fracture, to the AOJ.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's left hip disability is related to his service-connected knee disabilities. The VA needs to obtain a new medical opinion addressing these issues.

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

The Board denied service connection for low back disability, right hip disability, incontinence, sciatic nerve disability, and depression. The Veteran's current conditions are not related to his military service.,Service connection was denied as the evidence did not support a finding that any of these conditions began during or were caused by service.

The Board has decided to remand several claims, including increased ratings for right foot, knee, and hip disabilities. The Veteran's left foot disability claim is also inextricably intertwined with the other claims and must be addressed as well.

The Veteran's claim for a left foot hammer toe condition is denied as there is no evidence of such a condition during service or related to his service-connected pes planus.,The effective date for the grant of service connection for right inguinal hernia scar cannot be earlier than August 16, 2012 due to lack of prior claim within one year of discharge from service.,The effective date for the grant of service connection for other specified trauma and stressor-related disorder cannot be earlier than August 27, 2012 as there was no prior claim within one year of discharge from service.,Service connection is remanded for a low back condition secondary to pes planus due to lack of medical evidence linking the condition directly to service or to a service-connected disability.,Service connection is also remanded for a bilateral hip condition secondary to pes planus due to lack of medical evidence linking the condition directly to service or to a service-connected disability.,Service connection is also remanded for a bilateral knee condition secondary to pes planus due to lack of medical evidence linking the condition directly to service or to a service-connected disability.

The Veteran's claims for service connection related to scoliosis and its secondary effects are being remanded due to the need for further development.

The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's claims for service connection, including those for a jaw condition, left and right hip conditions, left and right knee conditions, hypertension, an acquired psychiatric disorder, liver condition, kidney condition, and TDIU. The reasons for these remands include the need to provide a Statement of the Case (SOC) and obtain medical opinions.

The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's service connection claims, including right hand disability, left shoulder disability, right shoulder disability, left hip disability, right hip disability, and right leg disability. The Board also ordered a remand for additional examinations regarding lumbar spine degenerative joint disease, cervical spine degenerative disc disease, left lower extremity radiculopathy, depressive disorder, hypertension, heart disability, an earlier effective date for service connection of left lower extremity radiculopathy, and TDIU. The Veteran's claims are also inextricably intertwined with the issues being remanded.

The Veteran's appeals for hypertension and sleep apnea have been dismissed. The remaining issues of service connection for arthritis of the cervical spine, back disability, left hip disability, left knee disability, and bilateral hearing loss are remanded.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for headaches has been denied as new and material evidence was not received.,Service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied because the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of hearing loss disability in either ear.,Service connection for OSA is denied as it did not manifest during service or be related to his service-connected PTSD.,The Veteran's left hip, right hip, left knee, and right knee disabilities are remanded due to lack of an opinion regarding their relationship to a service-connected disability.

The Board denied service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that his depressive disorder did not directly lead to the fatal stabbing by his child's mother. The Board concluded that there was no evidence linking the Veteran’s depression to the actions of the mother.

The Board has remanded the cases for further examination and opinion regarding the appellant's claimed left hip and left knee disabilities, as well as his right knee disability. The examiner is asked to determine if these conditions are related to service or any other condition.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for right hip and right knee disabilities, finding that further development is needed due to missing active duty treatment records.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings are denied. The AOJ is instructed to obtain VA treatment records, arrange for a new examination regarding obesity, and remand the remaining issues.

The Board denied service connection for right hip, left ankle, and sleep disorders as there was no current diagnosis of these conditions prior to death. The Veteran's IBS is also not considered a separate disability from her psychiatric symptoms.,For TBI, the Board found that residuals were only rated at 0 percent due to overlap with other service-connected disabilities (PTSD and migraines).