Hip decisions — 2020

The Veteran's erectile dysfunction is related to his service-connected acquired psychiatric condition.,His orchiodynia has been manifested by complaints of chronic pain, but no associated impairment of function.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for right and left hip disabilities, finding no evidence linking these conditions to his military service or any service-connected disability. The VA examiners opined that there was insufficient medical evidence to support a link between the hip disorders and the service-connected bilateral ankle disorders.,For PTSD, the Board denied an increased rating beyond 30 percent, citing occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity but not meeting the criteria for higher ratings of 50%, 70%, or 100%.

The Board has remanded the claims for a bilateral hearing loss disability, left hip and left foot disabilities due to the appellant's election to have the appeal processed by the Decision Review Officer.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date of May 30, 2006 for his TDIU due to unemployability caused by service-connected disabilities. The Board found that it was not factually ascertainable that the Veteran became unemployable within a year before filing his claim.

The Veteran's claim of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, is granted. The claims for low back disability and CAD are denied.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD and an acquired psychiatric disorder other than PTSD has been reopened, and the Board finds that new and material evidence has been received to support these claims. Service connection is granted for PTSD and an acquired psychiatric disorder (including major depression, PTSD, and substance use disorders).

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for back disorder and remanded all other issues related to her hip conditions, stomach condition, tension headaches, and unspecified urinary tract condition. The claims are being returned to the AOJ for further development.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for lower back, right hip, and left hip conditions due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for left and right knee disabilities, back disability (secondary to a knee disability), left hip disability (secondary to a knee disability), and right hip disability (secondary to a knee disability). The decision was based on the absence of evidence showing that any of these conditions were incurred or aggravated by service.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's right hip disability, finding that it began during his active military service and affording him the benefit of doubt.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a sleep disorder is denied as there is no current diagnosis of the condition.,For his coronary artery disease, the Veteran is not entitled to a rating in excess of 10 percent prior to March 28, 2017 and 30 percent from that date onwards. The evidence does not support a higher rating based on METs levels or other criteria.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for various disabilities, including carpal tunnel syndrome, shoulder and lumbar spine disorders, and peripheral neuropathy. The issues are related to whether these conditions are secondary to a service-connected cervical spine disorder.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for an increased rating for left hip disability and TDIU due to the failure to provide adequate reasons or bases in the October 2018 decision. The Veteran is required to undergo a VA examination to assess the current severity of his service-connected left hip disability.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for back, right knee, left knee, left hip, and right hip conditions due to incomplete medical records and need for further examination.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for lower back, right hip, and left hip disabilities as secondary to his service-connected bilateral knee disability.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for left and right hip disabilities due to inadequate reasons and bases in the previous decision, as well as failure to address whether her hip pain impaired her earning capacity and if her hip disabilities were aggravated by her service-connected lumbar spine disability.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to incomplete VA treatment records and issues with the reasoning provided in previous decisions. The case will be returned for additional development.

The Board has granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea and denied service connection for left hip condition, to include as secondary to parathyroidectomy with history of hyperparathyroidism.

The Board has granted service connection for erectile dysfunction as secondary to the Veteran's low back disability, but remanded several other issues including those related to bilateral hearing loss, right eye condition, acquired psychiatric disorder (depression and bipolar disorder), left knee condition, right knee condition, left hip condition, bilateral foot condition, and left elbow condition.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection of a left hip condition, finding that his current hip pain is related to his service-connected back disability.