Hip Board decisions

The Board has found that the AOJ did not substantially comply with prior remand directives and has therefore ordered a remand for an addendum opinion regarding whether the Veteran's left lower extremity disability clearly and unmistakably pre-existed service. The issues of entitlement to service connection for a back disability and bilateral hip disability are also inextricably intertwined and have been remanded as well.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for right hip disability and bilateral hearing loss due to inadequate opinions on service connection. The Veteran is seeking service connection for his right hip disability, which he contends began during service or was aggravated by a pre-existing right ankle disability. For his bilateral hearing loss, he contends it is related to noise exposure in service.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, a bilateral eye condition, a left shoulder condition, a left arm condition, a bilateral hip condition, vertigo, and kidney stones. The evidence does not support a finding that these conditions are related to military service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation, leading to the grant of TDIU from December 1, 2013, to February 23, 2015. For other periods, his combined disability rating was sufficient for TDIU.

The Board has denied service connection for right foot, left foot, and wrist conditions. The Veteran's bilateral hip and shoulder conditions have been granted.,Service connection was not established for the Veteran's claimed disabilities.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims for service connection of left, right knee disabilities and hip disabilities as well as low back disability. The claims are being remanded to obtain additional medical opinions regarding the etiology of these conditions.

The Board has remanded the case due to a need for additional examination and opinion regarding the relationship between the Veteran's left hip condition and his service-connected right knee condition.

The Veteran's service-connected right lower extremity disabilities are found to have caused his current left hip and left knee disabilities, which are granted as secondary to the service-connected conditions. The issue of TDIU is dismissed due to the effective date already being assigned.

The Veteran's tinnitus is related to in-service noise exposure. The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, insomnia, psoriasis, a low back disability, a right knee disability, and a respiratory disability.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate VA opinions regarding whether the Veteran's left hip disability is secondary to his service-connected left knee disability. The Veteran contends that his fall and injury were caused by his service-connected left knee giving out.

The Board has remanded the case to determine if a TDIU based on the Veteran's right hip disability is warranted for the period from February 1, 2016 to March 23, 2017. The evidence suggests he might have been unemployable due to his right hip during this time.

The Board denied service connection for right and left hip disabilities, finding that the evidence did not support a direct relationship to service or any other theory of entitlement.

The Veteran's appeals have been dismissed due to his withdrawal of the issues listed on the title page.

The Board has decided to remand the case for further development, including obtaining private treatment records and conducting a VA examination. The Veteran's service-connected left hip disability is being evaluated again.

The Veteran's claims for specific phobia, acquired psychiatric disorder (to include depression and anxiety), left knee degenerative joint disease, bilateral hip condition as secondary to back disability, rating in excess of 20 percent for specific phobia, rating in excess of 10 percent for bilateral hearing loss, and TDIU due to service-connected disabilities are all granted. The effective date for the grant of service connection for specific phobia is set at December 27, 2015.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for low back and left hip disabilities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology. The claims are being returned for further examination.

The Board has granted service connection for a back disability, but remanded the other issues due to insufficient evidence.

The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral hip conditions and a left knee condition due to inadequate opinions regarding their etiology.,Specifically, the right hip degenerative arthritis and residuals of status post hip joint replacement are being remanded for addendum opinions addressing whether they are related to service-connected lumbar spine disability.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for various hip, thigh, shoulder, and erectile dysfunction disabilities due to inadequate opinions regarding their etiology.

The Veteran's initial claim for a higher rating for his left hip disability was denied, with the exception of an increased initial rating of 10 percent since May 24, 2014 for limitation of flexion.