Hip decisions — 2019

The Board has determined that additional development is needed for the claims of service connection for left knee and left hip disabilities, as well as an increased rating for right knee disability. The Veteran will be provided with new VA examinations to determine the nature and etiology of these conditions.

The Board denied service connection for lumbar spine, left hip, and right hip disabilities due to lack of evidence showing these conditions were incurred or aggravated by service. The Veteran's current hip and back issues are attributed to normal aging.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral ankle and hip disabilities, finding no evidence to support a nexus between these conditions and his active military service.

The Board has granted service connection for low back, left hip, and right hip disabilities. Service connection was denied for a left knee disability.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for cervical spine, lower back, right hip, and right ankle conditions due to secondary service connection. The VA examiners did not adequately address whether these conditions were aggravated by his service-connected left hip and left ankle disabilities.

The Veteran's post-THR left hip disability is rated at 50 percent, which is the maximum rating available under VA regulations. The low back disability remains rated at 20 percent.,Service connection for a left foot plantar fasciitis has been remanded due to insufficient evidence in the record.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a right hip condition, adjustment disorder with depressed mood, anemia, left knee condition, and right knee condition. The cases are remanded to obtain additional medical opinions and address duty-to-assist errors.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including back disability, right and left hip disabilities, tinnitus, sleep apnea, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, anxiety disorder, and depressive disorder are denied. The Board found no new and material evidence to reopen the claim for a back disability. Service connection is granted for tinnitus as related to service-connected PTSD. Service connection is also granted for sleep apnea as caused by service-connected PTSD. Other conditions remain denied.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hip disability and bilateral numbness of the legs, as these conditions are not clearly related to his service or a service-connected condition. The Veteran will need to provide additional medical evidence to support his claims.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence and need for additional development. The issues include bilateral hearing loss, depression, alcoholism, left knee condition, right knee condition, left hip condition, right hip condition, left ankle condition, and right ankle condition.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to new VA medical records not previously considered.

The Board has remanded the claims for low back, right hip, and hypertension disabilities due to their secondary nature to service-connected knee disabilities. The Veteran needs to undergo VA examinations to determine if his current conditions are caused or aggravated by his service-connected knee disabilities.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for lumbosacral strain with degenerative disc disease, right hip disability, bilateral knee disabilities, and right shoulder disability due to unclear periods of active duty for training (ACDUTRA) or inactive duty for training (INACDUTRA).

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection and evaluation of his disabilities due to incomplete development, including obtaining medical records and arranging for examinations.

The Board has granted service connection for a low back disability and remanded the issues of entitlement to service connection for a right hip disability and a compensable evaluation for pseudofolliculitis barbae.

The Board dismissed all appeals related to service connection and rating determinations for various conditions, including low back disability, posttraumatic stress disorder, left hip condition, scars of the right and left knees and right shoulder, major depression, and lateral instability of the right knee. The effective dates were not addressed in this decision.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development and readjudication due to missing documents, including a private medical opinion, lay statement, and VA Form 21-8940. The issues of rating PTSD with alcohol abuse in remission and effective date are being remanded.

The Board has decided that the claims for tailbone and right hip conditions need further examination to determine if they are related to service. The case is being sent back to VA for this purpose.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's bilateral hip conditions, finding that they are related to his active military service.

The Veteran's bilateral knee and hip disabilities have been rated at 10 percent each, but the Board has determined that a higher rating is not warranted based on current evidence of record.