Hip decisions — 2021

The Board has granted service connection for right knee, right hip, and lumbar spine disabilities as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected chronic right ankle sprain with arthritis and bilateral pes planus.

The Board has remanded the case for further development to clarify the Veteran's employment history and assess his ability to secure and follow substantially gainful employment due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim for service connection of his left hip condition due to inadequate medical opinions and need for further development, including verification of periods of active duty, ACDUTRA, or INACDUTRA. The claim will be adjudicated on the merits after these issues are addressed.

The Board has remanded the case due to an inadequate VA examination, and now requires a new examination to determine if the Veteran's hip disability is related to her service-connected pelvic fracture.

The Veteran's right ankle and right hip disabilities are being remanded for further development. The appeal regarding service connection for right leg tingling is also pending.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral ankle, hip conditions, and IBS have been reopened. He is granted separate disability ratings of 20 percent each for left and right knee instability.

The Board has granted service connection for a right hip disability as due to the Veteran's service-connected residuals of fracture, left proximal tibia with varus deformity and degenerative changes of the knee and ankle. The issue of an increased evaluation remains pending.

The Veteran's claim for an effective date prior to June 19, 2013 for the award of service connection for tinnitus is denied as there was no prior unadjudicated claim. The Veteran is already in receipt of the earliest possible effective date allowed under law.,The Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 10 percent for tinnitus is denied as he is already receiving the maximum schedular evaluation.

The Board finds that more development is necessary prior to final adjudication of the Veteran's service connection claims for low back disability and left hip condition due to their inextricability. The issues are remanded for further examination.

The Board denied service connection for a back disability and bilateral hip disability, finding that the evidence did not support a link to service or connect these conditions to any service-connected disabilities. The TDIU claim was also denied as there were no service-connected disabilities preventing employment.

The Board has remanded the case due to a failure to obtain the Veteran's private treatment records from G. B. M. Hospital, which may relate to his claimed left hip disability and arthritis.

The Board has ordered a remand for further development and medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's bilateral hip disabilities, which are currently not service-connected.

The Veteran's service-connected right hip and shoulder disabilities are found to be as likely as not preventing him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation prior to July 2, 2012. Therefore, the claim for an extraschedular TDIU is granted.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the relationship between the Veteran's disabilities and his military service. The claims will be reviewed again with additional development.

The Board has granted service connection for various conditions, including degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, right and left ankle musculoligamentous strain, right and left knee osteoarthritis, right and left hip disabilities, and bilateral flat foot. The decisions are based on direct service connection as there is no indication of a presumption or secondary condition.

The Board has determined that the VA medical opinions obtained on remand are inadequate and requires further examination or opinion to address the Veteran's claimed disabilities, their onset during service, and any relationship to his service. The case is therefore being remanded for these purposes.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's claimed right hip disability. The examiner is requested to provide an addendum report addressing all theories of entitlement, including service connection for a right hip disability.

The Board denied service connection for a bilateral hip disability and lumbosacral spine disability, finding that the Veteran does not have current disabilities related to active service or any incident of service.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's lower back and right hip conditions, finding that these conditions are secondary to his service-connected left knee disabilities.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for secondary service connection on an aggravation basis for his right and left hip disabilities, finding that there is no evidence to support that these conditions were aggravated by his service-connected back disability.