Hip Board decisions

The Board has granted service connection for a lower back disability, bilateral hip disability, and stomach disability (chronic diarrhea and irritable bowel syndrome) due to the Veteran's obesity caused by his service-connected disabilities. The rating for the stomach disability remains at 30%.

The Board dismissed the appeal of the right ankle disability claim. The claims for service connection of right hip, right knee, and acquired psychiatric disabilities were denied as there is no evidence linking these conditions to service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied in 2009. The Board has reopened the claim for a right hip disability and remanded it, but did not reach the merits of other claims due to lack of evidence.

The Veteran's erectile dysfunction claim is denied as there is no evidence of both loss of erectile power and penile deformity.,A rating in excess of 10 percent for diabetes mellitus is denied due to the absence of insulin, restricted diet, or oral hypoglycemic agent requirements.,Service connection for erectile dysfunction prior to October 31, 2005 is not granted as there is no evidence of a claim filed before that date.,Claims for service connection secondary to existing disabilities are remanded and will be considered in the future.,Claims for increased ratings for right knee arthritis and right knee disability are also remanded.,PTSD rating remains at 50 percent, with claims for higher ratings still pending.,TDIU claim is remanded as there are no specific service-connected disabilities listed.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for a left hip disability. The issue of service connection for a left shoulder disability and right knee disability is remanded for further development.

The Board dismissed the claim of service connection for a right hip disorder as the Veteran withdrew his appeal prior to the issuance of a decision. The issues of increased ratings for low back and left hip disabilities are remanded.

The Board denied service connection for a neck disability, back disability, bilateral hip disability, left leg disability, and bilateral ankle disability as there is no evidence of an in-service injury or disease that caused these conditions.,There are no post-service medical records showing the Veteran sustained any injuries to his neck, back, hips, legs, or ankles during service.

The Veteran's claim of service connection for various lower extremity and joint disabilities, including edema, hip, hand, elbow, retropatellar pain syndrome, ankle, and rotator cuff syndromes, has been reopened. The claims are granted as the evidence shows that these conditions began during active service.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate examination reports and further development is required.

The appeal to establish service connection for the Veteran's claimed conditions is granted, and the issues of entitlement to a right hip condition, left ankle condition, right ankle condition, and right calf condition are remanded.

The Veteran's lumbar spine disability is granted a 20% rating, effective October 5, 2010. Initial ratings for left and right hip disabilities are denied.

The Veteran's right hip disability, bilateral hearing loss, and erectile dysfunction are all found to be related to his service. However, the diabetes mellitus is not considered secondary to herbicide exposure.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection due to incomplete records and additional development is needed.

The Board has remanded the claims for a low back disability and left hip disability due to incomplete records. The Veteran's service connection claim is pending as new evidence may be received, while his secondary service connection claim remains in dispute.

The Board has granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea and hypertension, but has remanded the cases of cervical spine disability, low back disability, left hip disability, left knee disability, and acquired psychiatric disability.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions due to incomplete records and verification of his military service.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection of right and left knee disabilities, as well as his back disability, all secondary to a service-connected bilateral ankle disorder.,There is no direct evidence linking these conditions to service. The VA examiners have opined that the current diagnoses are more likely due to age and obesity.

The Board denied service connection for low back, right hip, and right ankle disabilities as the evidence did not support a link to service or service-connected conditions.

The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's service connection claims due to insufficient medical opinions regarding whether his obesity, caused by his service-connected right knee disability, is a substantial factor in causing other disabilities. The claims for service connection for left knee, lower back, left hip, heart disease, hypertension, and diabetes mellitus are all remanded.

The appellant has withdrawn her appeals for service connection for right ear hearing loss and left hip disability, thus the appeal is dismissed.