Hip Board decisions

The Board has remanded the service connection matters for additional development based upon the Veteran's Southwest Asia Theater of Operations (SWATO) service. The Veteran is seeking to establish service connection for his hip, knee, and ankle disabilities as due to an undiagnosed illness or fibromyalgia.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional examinations and development of his claims.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a bilateral hip disability, low back disorder, and neck disorder. The issues were remanded multiple times but have not been fully addressed.

The Veteran's hypertension was granted service connection effective April 16, 2011. The Board also found that the Veteran is unemployable due to his PTSD since September 2004 and assigned a TDIU rating prior to March 10, 2009.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including new examinations and a nexus opinion regarding the Veteran's service connection claim for a bilateral hip disability. The issues on appeal include claims for increased ratings for right shoulder, lumbar spine, and right knee disabilities, as well as a TDIU claim.

The Veteran's appeal was dismissed due to his death, and no jurisdiction remains for the Board to adjudicate the merits of the case.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeal concerning the issues of entitlement to service connection for a low back disability, entitlement to service connection for a right hip disability, and entitlement to service connection for a shortened right leg.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a skin disability and a right hip disability, finding that there is no evidence of a nexus between these conditions and his military service.

The Veteran's bruxism and internal derangement of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) are service-connected as secondary to her service-connected PTSD. The Veteran does not have a current diagnosis for bilateral hip conditions, restless leg syndrome, or a gastrointestinal disorder. Service connection is granted for PF with an initial rating of 30 percent effective May 13, 2009.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's left leg below the knee amputation is service connected, and therefore grants this claim. The right hip disability issue remains pending for further examination and analysis.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional VA examinations and treatment records. The case will be returned to the Agency of Original Jurisdiction (AOJ) after these are obtained.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection were denied. The right hip disability was rated as 10 percent disabling, the left hand and sinus disabilities were not found to be related to service or service-connected conditions, and the right knee disability was not found to be proximately due to a service-connected condition.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including mood disorder, right femur/knee condition, left hip condition, back condition, and left knee condition, have rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation as of July 1, 2007.

The Veteran's right knee and hip conditions are being remanded for further examination to determine if they are related to his service-connected right ankle condition.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hip disability is secondary to his service-connected bilateral knee disabilities and grants service connection for this condition. The issue of whether the Veteran's bilateral ankle disability is also secondary to his service-connected bilateral hip disability remains pending.

The Board denied reopening of the claims for diabetes mellitus, eye disability (glaucoma), depression, left hip disability, left ring finger infection, hemorrhoids, and kidney stones. The new evidence did not raise a reasonable possibility of substantiating these claims.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings were generally granted. Service connection was established for bilateral eye cataracts due to his service-connected diabetes mellitus type II (DM II). The cervical spine disability received initial ratings of 10 percent prior to June 28, 2016, and 30 percent thereafter. The Veteran's TDIU claim from July 31, 2017, is moot due to his combined 100 percent rating.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development of his claims, including obtaining SSA records and STRs, as well as VA examinations to address the nature and etiology of his back, right hip, and right leg disorders.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a left hip disability, finding that it is not at least as likely as not related to his service-connected bilateral knee and lumbar spine disabilities.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for a right hip condition, secondary to his non-service-connected left leg disability. The claims for service connection for a left leg disability and skin condition of hands are remanded due to the need for additional development.