Hip decisions — 2018

The Board has remanded the cases for further development due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the relationship between the Veteran's service-connected knee disability and his claimed hip and back conditions.

The claims for service connection and evaluation in excess of 10 percent for plantar fasciitis are remanded due to the need for additional examinations and medical opinions. The issues regarding secondary service connection, tarsal tunnel release, and sleep disability require further development.

This decision is remanded for additional development to obtain updated VA and private treatment records, including from a medical facility in Sedalia, Missouri. The Veteran should also be provided an opportunity to submit lay statements regarding her service-connected conditions and their impact on her ability to work.,The Veteran's kidney stones claim will require a new VA examination to determine if she had any such condition during service or is otherwise related to service. Her sinusitis and right hip disability claims will need a new VA examination, including the May 2012 private treatment record, to assess whether they began in service or are related to service.,The Veteran's GERD claim requires a new VA examination to determine its current severity. The cervical spine disability claim needs a new VA examination to evaluate her radiculopathy of the upper extremities and to assess any associated objective neurologic abnormalities under an appropriate diagnostic code. Her right elbow disabilities will need a new VA examination to determine their current severity.

The Veteran's TBI residuals are currently rated at 10 percent, and the Board finds that a higher evaluation is not warranted based on the evidence of record.

The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for various disabilities, including hypertension. The AOJ is instructed to obtain a VA medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's hypertension was caused or aggravated by herbicide exposure during service.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinions and a need for additional development regarding service connection for degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, as well as compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for hip replacements.

The Board has granted service connection for hearing loss and tinnitus, but denied service connection for left ankle and foot disability and left hip disability.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence and need for further examination. The Veteran's low back, left hip, and left leg disabilities are being reviewed again as secondary to a right ankle disability.

The Veteran's right hip disability, resulting in moderately severe residuals of weakness, pain, or limitation of motion, is granted an initial rating of 50 percent.

The Board has remanded both claims of service connection for a right hip disability and an acquired psychiatric disorder (secondary to the right hip disability) due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the onset and etiology of these conditions.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for left hip, right hip, and bilateral lower extremity and foot disabilities have been reopened. The new evidence received since the April 2006 rating decision shows current diagnoses of these conditions.

The Veteran was granted service connection for various conditions in August 2001. He appealed to have his son added as a dependent effective from the date of his initial claim, which is August 1, 2001.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for right hip and left hip disabilities, finding that there was no competent evidence linking these conditions to his service-connected bilateral ankle disability.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for increased ratings, service connection, and secondary service connection due to delays in processing. The issues include his mood disorder, back disability, radiculopathy of bilateral lower extremities, hip, knee, and foot disabilities.

The Board has granted service connection for low back, bilateral hip, and bilateral knee disabilities as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected right ankle disability. The claim for increased ratings for the right ankle disability is also granted.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and back disability are not related to service, but his tinnitus appeal was withdrawn. The claims for a bilateral hip disability and left eye disability are remanded for further development.

The Board has determined that additional development is necessary to allow for a fully-informed decision regarding the Veteran's right hip disability, including whether it had onset in service or is etiologically directly related to active service. The examiner should provide opinions on whether the current right hip disability is caused by any of the Veteran's service-connected disabilities and if it is aggravated by any of them.

The Board has reopened claims for service connection for a left hip condition, tinnitus, and cold injury residuals of the upper extremities. Service connection is granted for tinnitus but denied for a right hip condition and cold injury residuals of the upper extremities. The claim for increased rating for peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities remains pending.

The claim for service connection for atrial fibrillation has been reopened and granted. Service connection is also granted for a left hip disability, but the other issues have been remanded.

The Board denied reopening of the claims for service connection for right knee and right hip disabilities due to lack of new and material evidence demonstrating that preexisting conditions were aggravated by active service.,The Veteran's current left knee disability was not continuous or recurrent in service, nor is there a medical nexus between it and active service.