Hip decisions — 2019

The Veteran's service connection claims for various musculoskeletal conditions, hearing loss, tinnitus, heart condition, Parkinson’s disease, and acquired psychiatric disorder (PTSD, anxiety, depression) have all been denied as the evidence does not support a finding that these conditions were incurred or aggravated by military service.

The Board has granted the Veteran's request to reopen his claims for service connection for left hip and left knee disabilities, but these claims are still pending as further evidence is needed.

The Veteran's current right ear hearing loss and tinnitus are service connected.,Service connection is also granted for left shoulder, right shoulder, left elbow, right elbow, bilateral wrist, left hip, and right hip disabilities. However, the Board has not provided a VA examination to determine whether these conditions are related to in-service motorcycle accident injuries.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's lumbar disc disease, right hip disability, and left hip disability are etiologically related to his service. As a result, the claims for these conditions have been granted.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for lumbar, left hip, and right hip disabilities have been reopened due to the submission of new evidence. The claim for acquired psychiatric disorder (depression) has also been reopened.,The Board is remanding these issues back to the RO/AMC for further development.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral knee and left hip disabilities, as well as his claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 20 percent for lumbosacral strain. The Veteran asserts that these conditions are related to combat injuries sustained while serving in Afghanistan.

The Board denied service connection for various disabilities, including hip, knee, ankle, back, groin pain, and heart disease, as they were not incurred in or due to the Veteran's time in service.

The Veteran's claims for increased rating of chronic lumbar back strain and service connection for right hip condition as secondary to his service-connected chronic lumbar back strain are remanded. The claim for a separate disability rating for bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy is also remanded, and the TDIU claim remains inextricably intertwined with these issues.

The Veteran's application to reopen a previously denied claim for entitlement to service connection for a left hip disability is granted. Service connection for a left hip disability is also granted.,Increased ratings are granted for the lumbar spine disability, left lower extremity radiculopathy, and right lower extremity radiculopathy.

The Board denied service connection for low back, left hip, and right hip conditions. The issues of secondary service connection for CAD, hypertension, ED, diabetes mellitus as secondary to herbicide exposure, peripheral neuropathy, and acquired psychiatric disorder (PTSD) as secondary to CAD are remanded.,No effective date was provided in the decision.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for various disabilities, including depressive disorder NOS, right-hand disability, lumbar and cervical spine disabilities, left-hand disability, bilateral hip disability, and left-knee disability. The claims are being returned to VA for further development.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims for service connection of right hip, bilateral knee, and bilateral ankle disabilities due to new evidence received since the February 2000 rating decision. The claims are now pending for further adjudication.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for a back disability, hammer toes, obstructive sleep apnea, neck disability, left hip disability, right hip disability, and tinnitus have been granted. The rating for GERD has also been reduced from 30% to 10%. New evidence was submitted that supports the reopening of these claims.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for left shoulder condition and left hip condition, with the latter issue being remanded for further examination.

The Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 10 percent for his left trapezius muscle disability (myofascial pain syndrome) was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating.,The Veteran's claims for service connection for various musculoskeletal disabilities, including lumbar spine, right hip, left elbow, right elbow, left wrist (carpal tunnel syndrome), and right wrist (carpal tunnel syndrome) were remanded due to incomplete records. The VA duty to assist was triggered by the addition of relevant service treatment records.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, lumbar spine disability, left hip disability, right hip disability, and both knees. The evidence did not establish a link between these conditions and his military service.

The Veteran's claims for special monthly compensation and 38 U.S.C. § 1151 benefits are remanded due to the need for clarification of the relationship between his lithium use and the occurrence of his claimed symptoms, as well as a determination on the propriety of the use of lithium in this particular case.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for various foot, shoulder, elbow, wrist, hip, knee, and ankle disabilities due to inadequate VA examinations. The new examinations must address whether these conditions are related to service or a service-connected disability.

The Veteran's tinnitus was granted service connection as it had onset within one year of separation from active service.

The appeals concerning the reopening of service connection for various hip and knee disabilities, as well as secondary service connection for shoulder and elbow conditions, have been dismissed due to the Veteran's death.