Hip decisions — 2019

The Board has remanded the claims for right, left hip disabilities and a left knee disability to obtain additional VA examinations and medical opinions. The issues are still pending as they have not been decided on their merits yet.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of left or right hip disabilities, and therefore cannot establish service connection for these conditions.,Similarly, the Veteran's claim for an acquired psychiatric disability (insomnia) is denied as there is no evidence of a current mental health condition.

The Board has remanded the cases due to incomplete examination and lack of opinion regarding whether the Veteran's service-connected foot disability may have aggravated his hip and back disabilities.

The Board has remanded several claims for service connection due to the need for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling VA examinations.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for a right knee condition, COPD, and a right hip condition as secondary to his service-connected fracture of the left femur. The appeals are pending further review.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for left foot and right foot disabilities due to insufficient information in the record regarding these conditions.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings for PTSD, coronary artery disease, and bilateral hearing loss have been dismissed. The appeals for service connection of left hip disability, right hip disability, and TDIU are remanded.

Service connection is granted for degenerative changes of the lumbar spine, right hip disability, and left hip disability. Service connection is denied for headaches claimed as due to undiagnosed illness and an upper body rash (xerosis) claimed as due to undiagnosed illness.,The Veteran's current conditions are not related to service.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's sleep apnea, lumbar spine disability, and left hip disability are not service-connected. The claims for increased PTSD rating and TDIU are also remanded.

The Veteran's claim of service connection for a back disability has been reopened, but the Board finds that further development is needed as there are no VA examinations or opinions regarding her bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, acquired psychiatric disorder, and bilateral hip disability. The case is remanded to obtain updated VA treatment records, schedule the Veteran for appropriate medical examinations, and provide an opinion on the etiology of these conditions.

The Veteran's tinnitus is granted service connection. The Board has remanded the cases for bilateral knee, back, and hip disabilities, as well as pes planus and hallux valgus.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for headaches and a right hip disability have been denied as there is no evidence of a current disability related to military service.

The Board has denied service connection for bilateral hip and ankle disabilities, finding that the conditions are not related to active service or a service-connected condition.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for right hip disability, thoracolumbar spine disability, and bilateral knee disability due to outstanding medical records and need for further examination.

The Board has decided to remand the service connection claims for low back, right hip, right knee, left knee, and right ankle disabilities due to inadequate VA medical opinions. Additional development is needed to determine if these conditions are related to service.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for additional examinations and assessments of his service-connected conditions, particularly regarding functional loss during flare-ups.

The Veteran's application to reopen his claim for service connection for a back disability was denied. The Board also found that the Veteran does not have a right hip disability as a result of service, and thus denied service connection for this condition.

The Board has remanded the claim for service connection for a left hip disability, including as secondary to a left knee disability due to lack of a VA examination.

The Board has granted service connection for right and left knee disabilities, but has remanded the issues of service connection for a left foot disability, right foot disability, left hip disability, and lumbar spine disability.

The Board has decided that additional development is needed for the Veteran's claims regarding her right and left hip disabilities, including whether they are related to service-connected knee disabilities or if they have resulted in functional impairment.