Hip decisions — 2024

The appeal has been dismissed due to the Veteran's death. The issues related to service connection and rating increases are not addressed as they pertain to a deceased Veteran.

The Board has remanded the claims for further development due to duty-to-assist errors and insufficient medical opinions.

The Veteran's claims for SMC based on the need for aid and attendance and TDIU were denied as they are not considered to be part of a claim received prior to March 7, 2016.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to a duty-to-assist error, and will need to obtain an opinion on whether the Veteran's right hip condition is related to service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim for service connection for lumbosacral strain with degenerative arthritis of the spine due to conflicting evidence regarding its onset and etiology.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for right knee, right hip, left hip, right ankle, and left ankle disabilities due to a lack of evidence showing these conditions began during or are otherwise related to active service.

The Veteran's appeal for a compensable rating for her left hip condition, limitation of flexion is denied.,The Veteran's appeal for a higher rating for her left hip impairment is denied.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD is found to be the primary cause of his COPD, left hip disability, right hip disability, skin disability, and sleep apnea. The Board has granted service connection for these conditions on a secondary basis.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for hip, cervical spine, and lower back disabilities due to a fall injury during active duty. The VA will obtain medical opinions regarding whether these conditions are related to service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for a headache, PTSD, and right hip condition have been dismissed. The Veteran's claim for service connection for a right foot condition has been granted with a 30% rating. Other issues remain on appeal.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for TDIU and DEA benefits, finding that her service-connected disabilities did not render her unemployable prior to May 30, 2012.

The Board has remanded the claims for low back, right thigh, left hip, and right shoulder disabilities due to inadequate VA examinations conducted in January 2021.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals for all issues, including a rating in excess of 20 percent disabling for diabetes mellitus type II, including erectile dysfunction; service connection for a left ankle disability; service connection for a right hip disability; hyperlipidemia; and obesity. The Board dismissed the appeal due to the withdrawal.

The Veteran's tinnitus is granted service connection, and he receives a combined rating of 20 percent for his right knee strain and left knee osteoarthritis. The issues regarding bilateral hearing loss disability and TDIU are remanded.

The Veteran's back condition, neck condition, and right hip condition are all granted as service connected.,Reasoning: The evidence is in equipoise regarding the onset of these conditions during active duty.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for left hip, right foot, and left foot disabilities have been denied as there is no evidence of a current disability or association with service.,Service connection for lung disability has also been denied due to lack of proof of present disability.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for right and left hip conditions due to a lack of current medical evidence supporting the existence of these conditions. The AOJ is instructed to attempt to obtain private treatment records from Dr. B., who provided care since 2002, and schedule an appropriate VA examination to determine if the Veteran has current hip disabilities.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection for alcohol dependency and a bilateral hip condition, secondary to alcohol dependency have been dismissed due to the appellant's request for withdrawal of his appeal.

The Board dismissed the appeals for service connection of bilateral knee disability and right hip disability as untimely, due to failure to file a timely Notice of Disagreement.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral kidney condition, diabetes mellitus type II (diabetes), right hip condition, left hip condition, peripheral neuropathy of the left upper extremity, erectile dysfunction, and hypertension. The issues related to a right knee condition are being remanded.