Hip decisions — 2023

The Board has remanded the claims of entitlement to service connection for bilateral ear condition, sinusitis, right hip condition, and left hip condition due to new evidence submitted by the Veteran.

The Veteran's tinnitus was granted service connection as it is presumed to have been incurred during active duty.,VA examinations were not provided for the Veteran's hip, low back, and knee disabilities. The Veteran also needs a VA examination for his PTSD.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's service connection claim for his left hip condition should be remanded due to insufficient medical opinion regarding its etiology.

The Veteran's petition to reopen her previously denied claim for service connection for a left hip condition is granted. The claims of service connection for gait, lameness (secondary to sacroiliac joint dysfunction), and right knee condition are remanded.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's left and right hip disabilities, finding that these conditions were aggravated by his active military service.

The Veteran's type II diabetes mellitus is granted as service-connected due to herbicide exposure.,The Veteran's peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities is granted as service-connected due to herbicide exposure.

The Veteran's appeal with respect to bilateral hearing loss is dismissed. Service connection for low back disability, right hip disability, and left hip disability is granted. A 70 percent rating is assigned for unspecified depressive disorder from March 24, 2017, to October 11, 2019.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for fibromyalgia and an earlier effective date for his lumbar spine disability have been dismissed. The Board has also remanded the remaining issues.

The Board has remanded several claims related to the Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including lumbar spine disability, right shoulder disability, left shoulder disability, hypertension, left hip disability, left knee disability, and bilateral hearing loss. The AOJ is instructed to consider all additional evidence since the last decision in April 2019 and issue a supplemental statement of the case if necessary.

The Board has decided to remand the cases of the Veteran's bilateral hip disabilities, as they are not adequately addressed in the previous VA opinions. The case will be returned for further examination and opinion.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for left knee, right knee, and left hip disabilities due to incomplete verification of his periods of active duty, inactive duty training, and ACDUTRA. Additionally, new etiology opinions are needed as the current ones are inadequate.

The Board denied service connection for left knee, left hip, and left wrist disabilities due to a lack of evidence showing the conditions were incurred or aggravated by military service.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for her bilateral plantar calluses of the right and left foot is denied.,The Board has also remanded the issue of service connection for hip condition secondary to service connected conditions.

The Board has denied service connection for residuals of a fractured coccyx and an acquired psychiatric disorder other than OCD. The low back disability, bilateral plantar fasciitis, and right hip disability claims are remanded.,Service connection is not granted for the Veteran's claimed conditions due to lack of current diagnoses or evidence linking them to service.

The Board has remanded the case due to new questions raised by recent medical opinions and additional development is needed.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a right knee condition, bilateral hip conditions, and a back condition as secondary to his service-connected left knee condition. The VA examiners provided negative nexus opinions regarding these claims.

The Veteran's claims for higher ratings and earlier effective dates are being remanded due to the inadequacy of a previous VA examination. The new examination must address whether the right hip disability is related to the lumbar spine disability, distinguish between intrinsic impairment from other causes, and determine the total duration of incapacitating episodes during the past 12 months.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral ankle and hip disabilities as there is no current disability found by VA examiners.

The Board denied service connection for left and right hip disabilities, finding that the current conditions did not have their onset in service or are not related to any in-service disease or injury.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to a need for an additional medical opinion regarding whether the appellant's preexisting right hip disability was aggravated by events during his military service.