Hip decisions — 2020

The Board has determined that there is no evidence of hip or back disabilities in service, and the Veteran does not have a current disability related to his service. The claims for right hip, left hip, and back disabilities are therefore denied.

The Board has remanded the cases due to an inadequate examination and a need for clarification of the location of the retained foreign body (RFB) in the Veteran's right buttocks. The case will be reviewed by a qualified clinician who must provide an opinion on whether the service-connected shrapnel fragment wound with RFB aggravates either the right hip disability or the pinched nerve.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection were denied. The left hip condition, right knee condition, and left knee condition are rated as noncompensable or 10 percent disabling, respectively. A separate noncompensable rating was granted for bilateral leg chronic exertional compartment syndrome.

The Veteran's left shoulder disability is remanded due to insufficient evidence regarding its onset and relation to service.,The Veteran's hepatitis C is remanded as the VA examiner did not provide adequate rationale for their opinion.,The Veteran's kidney disability, related to hepatitis C, is remanded due to an inaccurate factual premise in the previous opinion.,The Veteran's right hip disability is remanded because the VA examiner did not address whether it was caused or aggravated by his service-connected right knee disability.,The effective date for a 10 percent evaluation of the Veteran's right knee disability is remanded due to inadequate examination results.

The Board has remanded the claim for compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 due to a lack of adequate supporting rationale in the February 2020 VA examiner's opinion and the need for an independent medical expert outside of VA.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for a bilateral hip disability and back disability due to insufficient medical opinions regarding service connection, specifically addressing whether these conditions are aggravated by her service-connected disabilities. The case will be returned to VA for further examination and consideration.

The Board has decided to remand the claims for service connection and secondary service connection due to lack of a proper medical opinion regarding the onset of the Veteran's low back disability in active service. The case will be reviewed again with new evidence.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection and rating for various knee, hip, and ankle disabilities due to procedural issues. The Veteran's left knee disability was reduced from 20% to 10%, but no SSOC was issued.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development regarding service connection for acquired psychiatric disorder, right hip disability, left hip disability, right knee disability, and left knee disability. The Board finds that a VA examination is needed to address the nature and etiology of these conditions, as well as whether they are caused or aggravated by his service-connected low back disability.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining a retrospective opinion from the VA clinician who conducted the June 2020 examination of the Veteran's right hip disabilities regarding the severity of his conditions as documented in the February 2016 and January 2018 VA examinations.

The Board has determined that the VA examinations did not comply with prior remand instructions and thus, the claims for service connection are being remanded to obtain additional opinions from appropriate clinicians.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral pes planus, lumbar spine disability, bilateral hip disability, and bilateral knee disability due to lack of evidence showing aggravation during active duty.,Service connection was also not granted for ichthyosis.

The Board has granted service connection for left and right hip disabilities, finding that they are at least as likely as not related to the Veteran's service-connected back disability.

The Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates and increased ratings were denied. Service connection was granted for bilateral hip, knee, and ankle disabilities.

The Board denied service connection for a bilateral hip condition, to include as secondary to service-connected phlebitis of the right leg. The claim for a rating in excess of 40 percent for phlebitis of the right leg and TDIU is remanded.

The Board has found that additional evidence was added to the claims file since the April 2016 SOC and requires remand for further action, including obtaining any outstanding VA and private treatment records.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings, service connection, and other issues are being remanded due to the need for additional examinations and development of records.

The petition to reopen the claims for service connection of right hip, right knee and left knee disabilities is granted. The appeals are remanded for further development.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various disabilities of the back, right shoulder, right hip, left hip, right knee, and left knee. The Board found that there was no evidence linking these conditions to active service.

The Board has determined that new evidence received warrants readjudication of the claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus. The appellant's right shoulder, left shoulder, right hip, left hip, residuals of a head injury, psychiatric disability (PTSD), methylation process dysfunction, combat training fatigue, and aging disabilities are all denied as service connection is not warranted.,The Board has determined that the evidence does not support service connection for any of the claimed conditions. The appellant's claims have been remanded to allow for further development.