Hip decisions — 2024

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence regarding his claimed conditions. The Veteran will need to undergo VA examinations to determine if he has current disabilities related to his active duty service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for sleep apnea and hypertension has been granted due to the submission of new and relevant evidence. The claims for left knee and hip disabilities are being remanded.,Service connection is granted for a left knee disability based on continuity of symptomatology since active duty.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's claimed right ankle, lumbar spine, right knee, right hip, right shoulder, right wrist, left wrist, left elbow, and cervical spine conditions based on credible lay statements and medical opinions.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for traumatic brain injury, memory loss as secondary to traumatic brain injury, left hip disability, and left knee disability have been denied. The claim for right foot disability is remanded.,Service connection has not been established for any of the conditions on appeal.

The Board has remanded the case due to a pre-decisional error in the February 2022 VA opinion, which did not consider aggravation. The Veteran's left hip disability is being reviewed for possible causation or aggravation by his service-connected left knee disability.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to a need for an additional medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's left hip disability is related to his in-service injury.

The Board has determined that new and relevant evidence has been submitted to readjudicate the claims for bilateral foot condition, left knee condition, right knee condition, back condition, right hip condition, and migraine headaches. The issues are being remanded due to pre-decisional duty to assist errors.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is currently assigned a noncompensable rating, and the claim for a compensable evaluation is denied.,There is no evidence of a current left hip disability during or approximate to the period on appeal. The claim for service connection for a left hip condition is denied.,Service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder with alcohol dependency is remanded as there was no specific assertion of PTSD and VA examination is needed to clarify the nature and etiology of the claimed psychiatric disorder, including whether it is secondary to or caused by a service-connected disability.,The Veteran's hypertension claim is remanded due to his assertion that it is secondary to an acquired psychiatric disorder. Service connection for diabetes mellitus (to include as secondary to hypertension) is also remanded based on the Veteran's assertion of its secondary relationship to hypertension.,Right and left lower extremity diabetic neuropathy are remanded as they are claimed to be secondary to diabetes mellitus, which is itself a claim that requires further development.,The Veteran's right and left lower extremity diabetic neuropathy claims are remanded based on the same reasoning as his diabetes mellitus claim.

The Board has determined that remand is necessary to obtain adequate VA medical opinions regarding the Veteran's claims for service connection due to duty to assist errors.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a left hip disability has been readjudicated, but the evidence does not support the claim as there is no evidence of a current diagnosis or in-service occurrence.,Service connection for a low back disability was denied due to lack of relevant new and relevant evidence. The Veteran's post-service treatment records do not show any complaints, treatment, or diagnosis of a low back disability.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to incomplete service treatment records and inadequate VA medical opinions. The appellant's service records are not complete, and additional VA medical opinions are needed to address the etiology of his claimed disabilities.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for generalized anxiety disorder, right foot hallux valgus and pes planus, left foot hallux valgus and pes planus, and left hip disability have been granted. The claims for headaches, abdominal pain, and chest pain are being remanded due to insufficient evidence.

The Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, an acquired psychiatric disorder (to include PTSD, anxiety, and depression), allergic rhinitis, chronic sinusitis, left elbow disability, right elbow disability, neck disability, colostomy, diverticulosis, bilateral foot condition, heart disability, hemorrhoids, left ankle disability, right ankle disability, left hip disability, right hip disability, left knee disability, right knee disability, left shoulder disability, right shoulder disability, left wrist disability, right wrist disability, back disability, colon polyps, prostate disability, and vertigo were denied as there is no evidence of current diagnoses or a causal relationship to service.

The Board has determined that the VA examinations and opinions related to the Veteran's right hip and ankle disabilities were inadequate, and thus remanded for further action.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for various foot, hip, knee, and back disabilities due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error. The claims will be reconsidered with new evidence and medical opinions.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD, residuals of a broken nose, sterility, and prostate cancer. The claims for left hip disability, right hip disability, left ankle disability, right ankle disability, right knee disability, and eye disability are remanded for further development.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for various shoulder and ankle conditions due to a failure to verify his service in the Southwest Asia theater of operations during the Persian Gulf War, and because VA did not provide an adequate examination regarding the relationship between these conditions and service.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claims for secondary service connection for a right knee condition, right hip condition, and low back condition as they are proximately due to or aggravated by his service-connected left knee condition.

The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including allergic rhinitis, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, earaches, anxiety, depression, insomnia, hip conditions, shoulder conditions, hand and knee arthritis, lumbago, plantar fasciitis, and upper extremity radiculopathy. The evidence did not support a finding of current disability or a link to service for any condition.

The Board has granted service connection for cervical strain, right shoulder strain, and left hip disability. However, the Veteran's bilateral lower extremity neurological problems are remanded due to a lack of a VA examination.