Hip decisions — 2023

The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's claims for service connection, including psoriasis, an acquired psychiatric disorder (claimed as memory loss), bilateral hip conditions, and bilateral knee conditions. The decision also mentions a brain tumor claim.

The appeal has been dismissed as the appellant requested withdrawal of the appeal.

The Board has granted service connection for a lumbar spine disability, but the bilateral hip and leg disabilities are inextricably intertwined with this grant. The Veteran's radiculopathy is also related to his thoracolumbar condition. Therefore, the claims for right hip, left hip, right leg, and left leg disabilities must be remanded for further development.

The Veteran's claims for service connection of bilateral hip, knee, and right ankle disabilities are remanded due to the need for further medical evaluation.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection for myofascial pain syndrome, right shoulder disability, left hip disability, and left sciatic nerve disability require further development due to the need for medical opinions regarding their etiology.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for chondromalacia patellar with arthralgia, left and right knees; a right foot condition (pes planus); left hip condition; low back condition; and right hip condition. The issues are being remanded due to concerns about the preexistence of these conditions prior to service.

The Veteran's appeal to reopen and reconsider the claims for bilateral knee disability is granted. The appeal to reopen and reconsider the claim for bilateral hip disability, as secondary to a service-connected bilateral foot or bilateral knee disability, is remanded.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim for service connection for a right hip disability, which is claimed as proximately due to or aggravated by his service-connected degenerative joint disease of the lumbosacral spine. The case must be returned for further development and an opinion regarding whether the Veteran's right hip disability is caused or aggravated by his service-connected lumbar spine disability.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for various disabilities, including back disability, right knee and left knee disabilities, left hip disability, rhinitis, sinus headaches, loss of sense of smell, and loss of sense of taste. The remand requires obtaining private treatment records from Drs. L. and B., scheduling VA examinations to assess the Veteran's claimed conditions, and providing medical opinions on the relationship between service, including exposure to herbicide agents, and the Veteran's disabilities.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his right hip disability and left hip strain, due to a lack of adequate reasons or bases in previous decisions. The Veteran is required to undergo new VA examinations to assess the current severity of his conditions.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to lack of substantial compliance with previous remands and inadequate medical opinions regarding service connection for a left hip disability, including as secondary to service-connected lumbar spine disability.

The Veteran's right knee, right hip, left hip, and bilateral foot conditions are granted as secondary to his service-connected low back condition and sciatic and femoral radiculopathy of the left lower extremity.,A 20 percent disability rating for left lower extremity femoral radiculopathy is granted from September 19, 2021.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are remanded due to the need for additional examinations and evaluations, particularly regarding TBI-related disabilities.

The Veteran's hepatitis C and hair loss claims are remanded due to inadequate medical opinions.,The Veteran's OSA claim is remanded as the examiner failed to consider her prior sleep disturbances.,The Veteran's hypertension claim is remanded because the examiner did not provide a rationale for denying secondary service connection.,The Veteran's gastrointestinal disorder claim is remanded due to insufficient consideration of medical literature cited by the Veteran’s representative.,The Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus claims are remanded as the examination results were inconsistent and the examiner failed to address relevant medical literature.,The Veteran's dizziness claim is remanded because the examiner did not consider whether her dizziness was a symptom of her service-connected headache disability or a separate disorder.,The Veteran's cervical spine, left hand, bilateral shoulder, hip, knee, and foot disabilities claims are all remanded due to inadequate examination reports that failed to address relevant medical literature and symptoms.

The Board found no evidence of the claimed disabilities during service or within one year post-service, and thus denied all claims for service connection.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been reopened, but the issues of mental health disorder (including PTSD and depressive disorder), hypertension, diabetes mellitus, kidney stone condition, right knee disability, left knee disability, osteoarthritis of the cervical spine associated with ankylosing spondylitis, and left hip condition are remanded due to insufficient evidence.

The Board has dismissed the appeals for service connection for right hip and dental disabilities due to a withdrawal by the Veteran's representative.

The Veteran's initial and increased ratings for right knee scars, right knee disability (including flexion, extension, abduction, adduction), and right hip disability have been granted. The maximum schedular rating of 60 percent has been assigned for the right knee disability post total knee replacement (TKR). A separate compensable rating for shortening of the right lower extremity due to TKR is denied. An increased rating higher than 10 percent for the right hip disability is also denied.

The Veteran's right shoulder disability is granted as service connected. The left hip disability issue is remanded for further examination and opinion.

The appeal for a higher rating for PTSD with TBI is remanded. The appeals for service connection of right and left hip disabilities are also remanded.