Hip decisions — 2023

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for low back and bilateral hip disabilities due to inadequate medical opinions in a prior decision. The VA examiner must address whether these conditions are related to active duty service, delayed post-traumatic manifestations of injuries sustained during service, or caused by his service-connected right knee disability.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including left elbow, hip, shoulder, lumbar spine, bilateral hand, right hip, and right shoulder conditions, all of which are deemed to be direct service-connected rather than presumptively related due to Gulf War exposure.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for sleep apnea, left foot disability and right foot disability, bilateral knee strain (left and right), and right hip disability due to additional development being necessary.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection on the issues of migraines and headaches, severe body aches and joint pain, bilateral knee condition, bilateral ankle condition, sleeping disorder, bilateral wrist condition, bilateral hip condition, squamous cell carcinoma, and fatigue has been dismissed. Service connection is granted for PTSD.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the Veteran's right hip disability and radiculopathy. The VA examiner was directed to identify all hip disabilities found during the appeal period, including radiculopathy, and opine whether it is at least as likely as not that the Veteran's right hip disability began in or is otherwise caused by his active service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a liver disability, as secondary to his service-connected polycystic kidney disease, was denied. The Board found that there is no evidence of a current diagnosis of a liver disability at any time during the pendency of the appeal.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims due to incomplete development of his service treatment records and failure to verify his in-service stressor. The VA is directed to obtain all relevant medical records, including those from Florence VA clinic, and to attempt to corroborate the Veteran's reported in-service stressor.

The Veteran's claim for an effective date earlier than July 3, 2019 for the award of service connection for a left hip condition is granted. The appeal with respect to entitlement to VR&E benefits under the provisions of Chapter 31, Title 38, United States Code, is dismissed.

The Board has granted service connection for right knee patellofemoral pain syndrome. The claims for other musculoskeletal disabilities are remanded.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to incomplete development and failure to address certain theories of entitlement. The AOJ is required to obtain relevant hospitalization records from 1985 and assess the Veteran's exposure to asbestos during his military service.

The Board has found that additional relevant evidence has been added to the claims file and has remanded the case for readjudication by the RO.

The Board dismissed the appeals for various compensable rating claims due to the Veteran's withdrawal of his appeal.

The Veteran's tinnitus, headache disorder, right hip disability, and left hip disability are all granted as service-connected. The acquired psychiatric disorder claim is denied.

The Veteran's claim for PTSD was denied in April 2004, and the effective date of service connection is being denied prior to April 29, 2014.,Claims for various foot conditions, ankle conditions, wrist condition, low back condition, knee conditions, hip condition, bronchitis, sleep apnea, hypertension, and headaches were all denied.

The Board has determined that the VA examinations and evidence of record are insufficient to make a determination on the Veteran's claims for service connection. The Board is therefore remanding these issues for further development.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for various hip, ankle, and cervical disabilities due to insufficient evidence and need for further examination. The issues of initial rating higher than 10 percent for a cervical strain with degenerative arthritis of the spine are also pending.

The Board has remanded the service connection claims for right hip and lumbar spine conditions due to new evidence received since the last decision. The Veteran's active military service is alleged to be related to his current conditions, but the VA examiners' opinions are deemed inadequate.

The Board has determined that new and relevant evidence has been received to warrant readjudication of the claims for service connection for a right hip condition, PTSD, and sleep apnea. The AOJ is directed to ensure these claims are remanded for further development.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various lung, kidney, and hip conditions. The appeal is also remanded to determine if sleep apnea is related to service or a service-connected disability.

The claims for service connection for residuals of a right total hip arthroplasty with degenerative arthritis and left hip disability are remanded due to the receipt of new evidence. The Board finds that VA's duty to assist requires obtaining medical opinions addressing the etiology of these conditions.