Hip Board decisions

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to obtain medical records and ensure the Veteran's claims are properly adjudicated. The case is being remanded for further action.

The Veteran's death was not caused by a service-connected disability, and the proximate cause of his death was an unforeseeable event (developing ileus), which occurred during post-operative care at VA. The Board finds that neither the service-connected disabilities nor any other condition contributed to the Veteran's death.

The Board has determined that additional development is necessary due to the inconsistency in the diagnosis of arthritis and the lack of objective evidence supporting the Veteran's claim. The case is therefore REMANDED for further action.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has not been received to reopen the claims for bilateral knee, hip, back disabilities, diabetes mellitus, retinopathy, and peripheral neuropathy of the upper extremities. The Veteran's current conditions are presumed unrelated to his military service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining SSA records and scheduling VA examinations to assess the nature and etiology of his claimed disabilities.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining updated VA and non-VA treatment records, as well as STRs from his second period of service. The Veteran will also undergo an orthopedic examination to determine the etiology of any hip disorders, and a VA audiologic examination to determine if hearing loss and tinnitus are related to military service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection of a right knee disability has been denied as there is no current evidence of such a condition.

The Board has decided that additional development is needed to determine if the Veteran's right hip disability was caused or aggravated by his service-connected back disability, and has therefore remanded the case for further action.

The Board has granted service connection for diabetes mellitus, type II and its associated secondary disabilities (eye disability, hypertension, peripheral neuropathy of upper and lower extremities, and kidney disability) due to presumed exposure to herbicides during active duty. Service connection was also granted for bilateral hearing loss as a result of in-service noise exposure.

The Board has reopened the claim of service connection for residuals of a back injury due to new evidence. The remaining claims are remanded for further development.

The Veteran has withdrawn her appeals for increased ratings for her right and left hip disabilities. The Board does not have jurisdiction to review these issues as the appeal is dismissed.

The Board has determined that further development is necessary to adjudicate the Veteran's claims, including obtaining VA treatment records and private medical records. The Veteran may have additional disabilities related to his military service which need to be evaluated.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development including obtaining VA and private treatment records, conducting a VA examination to assess the current severity of his service-connected right knee disabilities, and issuing a supplemental statement of the case if any of the benefits sought remain denied.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for a left hip disability and bilateral hearing loss have been denied. The TDIU rating claim has been granted due to the combined rating of his service-connected disabilities meeting the schedular criteria.

The Board has found that the Veteran's claimed conditions do not meet the criteria for service connection as they are unable to establish an in-service event, injury, or disease. The evidence does not support a finding of continuity of symptomatology.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for a right hip condition and granted it, finding that there is at least as likely as not that his current lumbar spine condition is related to or aggravated by his service-connected right hip condition.,A supplemental examination was ordered to provide an opinion on whether the Veteran's lumbar spine condition is related to his military service.

The Board has decided that new and material evidence has not been received to reopen the claim of service connection for a low back disability. The Veteran's right hip disability is not shown, and her stomach disorder was found to be secondary to her major depressive disorder.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal for the issues of entitlement to service connection for left shoulder and right shoulder disabilities prior to a decision being made by the Board.

The Board found that the Veteran's current left hip and knee disabilities are not related to his service, including a reported bicycle accident. The most probative evidence indicates these conditions likely arose after he left service.

The Veteran's right hip replacement was due to avascular necrosis in the joint, which had origins many years after service separation. The left lower extremity disorder is attributed to degenerative changes and healed fractures of the knee and fibula.