Hip Board decisions

The Board has determined that the Veteran's back and right hip disabilities were not incurred in or aggravated by service, and arthritis may not be presumed to have been incurred therein.

The Veteran's left hip disability resulted in severe postoperative residuals, necessitating a temporary total rating until May 31, 2011. The Board has granted an extension of this rating to May 31, 2011.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for a right hip disability and a cervical spine disability, finding that these conditions were not causally or etiologically related to his active duty service.

The Veteran's PTSD has been rated at 50% since January 7, 2016. This grant of a higher rating is effective as of that date.,The Veteran was granted TDIU based on his service-connected disabilities prior to September 22, 2015.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims for service connection for various disabilities, including lung disability, bilateral knee and hip disabilities, low back disability, neck disability, obstructive sleep apnea, and depressive disorder. The new evidence supports reopening these claims.

The Veteran's DM was not shown during service or within one year of separation, and there is no evidence linking it to service. The right ankle disorder was not found on examination. The left hip disability and headache were also not found.,DM: Service connection denied as the condition was not present during service and cannot be presumed due to its onset more than a year after service. Right Ankle Disorder: No current disability found, no evidence of inservice injury or disease. Left Hip Disability: No current disability found, no evidence of inservice injury or disease. Headache: Service connection denied as there is no evidence linking the condition to service.

The Board found that there was no evidence of continuous or recurrent right hip disability symptoms during service and after separation. The preponderance of the evidence does not support a finding that the current right hip disability is related to active service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development including obtaining medical records and scheduling a VA examination to assess the current severity of his right knee disability.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim of service connection for a left hip condition as there is no evidence of an in-service injury or disease to which his current condition can be linked.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for his back, bilateral hip, and erectile dysfunction disabilities have been denied as there is no evidence of an in-service injury or disease that could be linked to these conditions. The Board also found that the Veteran did not meet the criteria for secondary service connection.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's left hip disability more nearly approximates a nonunion fracture of the femoral neck with preserved weightbearing, warranting an initial rating of 60 percent.

The Veteran's claims for cervical spine, low back, and bilateral hip disabilities are being returned to the VA examiner for additional development as they were not fully addressed in previous examinations.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his service-connected degenerative disc disease of the lumbosacral spine was denied. The current evaluation is 40 percent disabling, effective April 11, 2016.

The Board has granted a rating of 20 percent for the Veteran's service-connected right foot disability, effective May 19, 2015. The Veteran was previously rated at 10 percent prior to that date.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's left hip disability did not manifest during service and is not proximately due to, or aggravated by his service-connected left knee disability. Therefore, the claim for service connection for a left hip disability is denied.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have precluded him from securing or maintaining substantially gainful employment since August 10, 2000. As a result, the criteria for entitlement to TDIU have been met since that time.

The Veteran's disability ratings were reduced from 40 percent to 10 percent for lumbosacral paravertebral myositis, effective June 1, 2011. The reduction was found to be proper as there had been no actual improvement in the Veteran's condition.

The Veteran's PTSD is currently rated at 30 percent, effective January 28, 2011. The Board finds that the evidence does not support a higher rating as his symptoms do not meet or approximate the criteria for a 50% evaluation.

The Veteran's left hip disability is currently rated at 50 percent prior to February 3, 2017 and increased to 70 percent thereafter. The Veteran's cervical spine disorder was initially rated at 20 percent prior to February 3, 2017 and increased to 10 percent thereafter.,The Veteran's right upper extremity radiculopathy is currently rated at 40 percent and left upper extremity radiculopathy is currently rated at 40 percent.

The Board dismissed all pending appeals due to the appellant's withdrawal of her appeal.