Hip decisions — 2020

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's right knee condition. The decision is pending on remand for further examination and opinion regarding his bilateral hip conditions.

The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for various disabilities, including cervical spine disability, back disability, bilateral shoulder disability, bilateral hip disability, bilateral knee disability, bilateral ankle disability, bilateral foot disability, rhinitis, bronchitis, asthma, heart disability, prostate cancer, and urinary incontinence. The reasons are that the Veteran failed to report to scheduled VA examinations for these disabilities.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal in its entirety, and the Board dismissed the case due to lack of allegations of errors of fact or law for appellate consideration.

The Board has dismissed all service connection claims as the Veteran died during the appeal process.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a right hip disability and an increased evaluation for his right knee disability. The Board found that there was no evidence of a chronic right hip or knee disorder during active service, and the medical evidence did not support a finding that these disabilities were related to service.,For the period prior to June 4, 2015, the Veteran's right knee disability was rated at 10 percent. The Board found no basis for an increased evaluation as there was no evidence of limitation of motion or instability warranting higher ratings.

The Board has granted service connection for a right ankle disorder as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected lumbar spine, bilateral knee, and/or bilateral hip disabilities.

The Veteran's back condition is rated at 20% and his left hip condition, secondary to the back condition, remains unresolved. The case is remanded for further evaluation.

The Veteran's left hip disability was not incurred in or due to his time in service, and is denied.,PTSD does not meet the criteria for a rating in excess of 70 percent. The claim is denied.,Back disability did not meet the criteria for a rating in excess of 10 percent prior to March 5, 2019 or 20 percent thereafter from that date. The claim is denied.,Right lower extremity radiculopathy was not rated higher than 10 percent prior to March 5, 2019 and granted a rating of 20 percent thereafter. The claim is partially granted.,Left lower extremity radiculopathy was not rated higher than 10 percent prior to March 5, 2019 and granted a rating of 20 percent thereafter. The claim is partially granted.,GERD did not meet the criteria for a rating in excess of 10 percent. The claim is denied.,Left knee disability did not meet the criteria for a rating in excess of 10 percent. The claim is denied.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for colon cancer, right shoulder condition, left hip disability, hypertension (HTN), skin condition, and traumatic brain injury (TBI) as they are not related to his military service or herbicide exposure. The cases have been remanded for further development.

The Veteran's tinnitus is granted service connection, but his hyperlipidemia (high cholesterol) and other conditions are denied. The Board has remanded for further review of the remaining issues.

The Board has granted the Veteran's request to reopen his claim of service connection for a left knee disability. The case is remanded for further development and readjudication, including obtaining updated VA treatment records and arranging for an orthopedic examination to determine the etiology of the Veteran's current left knee disability. The secondary service connection claims for bilateral hip disabilities and carotid artery aneurysm are also remanded.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development and consideration due to new evidence received, issues not addressed in previous decisions, and potential need for extra-schedular analysis.

The Veteran's appeal for an increased rating for tinnitus has been withdrawn.,The claim of service connection for a left hip injury was dismissed as new and material evidence was not received to reopen the claim, and the right hip condition secondary to the left hip injury remains denied on secondary basis.,The claims for service connection for a right hip condition (secondary to the left hip) and right shoulder conditions were remanded due to insufficient evidence.,Service connection for a right hip condition was not granted as it is considered a direct claim, and the right shoulder conditions remain pending.,Service connection for a left shoulder condition remains pending.

The Board has granted service connection for right hip, left hip, right elbow, left elbow, and left wrist disabilities. Service connection for chronic sinusitis is also granted.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his right ankle and hip disabilities, as well as service connection for a right leg disability. The claims are being returned to VA for further development.

The Veteran's tinnitus was granted service connection as it is considered to be at least as likely as not caused by his service-connected coronary artery disease and hypertension.,Service connection for a right knee disability secondary to service-connected back and left knee disabilities was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support the presence of a current right knee disability.

The Board has determined that the VA examination conducted in October 2019 did not comply with the previous November 2018 remand instructions and thus is not sufficient to determine if the Veteran's left hip disability worsened between December 2011 and February 2014. The case is being returned for further action.

The Veteran's migraine headaches, sinusitis, right elbow disability, left foot disability, gastroesophageal condition (gastritis), left hip disability, and right shoulder disability are all found to be related to his active duty service.

The Board has remanded the service connection claims for a low back disability, right knee disability, left knee disability, left ankle disability, bilateral leg disability, bilateral hammertoes, and bilateral hip disability. The TDIU claim is also being remanded.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for various conditions, including left shoulder condition, right shoulder condition, chronic neck condition, chronic back condition, right hip condition, right foot condition, and left foot condition. The Board found no evidence linking these conditions to service.