Hip Board decisions

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection are not ready for appellate disposition and requires additional development, including a new VA examination.

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to the Veteran's inability to travel to a VA medical center. The claims of service connection for left wrist disability and bilateral hip condition are being reviewed.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for a supplemental medical opinion to determine the relationship between his service and any diagnosed disabilities, including those related to an incident in service. The Veteran will be provided another VA examination.

The Board has granted service connection for right elbow (ulnar nerve) disability, hypertension, and a liver disorder to include hepatitis. Service connection was denied for the remaining conditions.

The Veteran's claim for a total rating based on unemployability due to service-connected disability was granted with an effective date of January 7, 2009. The Board found that it was factually ascertainable that the Veteran was unemployable due to his service-connected disabilities as early as May 1, 2008.

The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for left hip, right hip, and low back disabilities as well as entitlement to increases in the staged ratings assigned for a postoperative right ankle disability. The effective dates for these awards are being handled separately.

The Veteran's tinnitus is found to have been incurred in service, while her left hip disability does not meet the criteria for service connection.

The Veteran's lumbar spine disability is currently rated at 40 percent, effective March 31, 2010. He also has a separate rating of 10 percent for right lumbar radiculopathy.,Regarding the right hip disability, the Board finds that further examination and medical opinion are needed to determine if it is related to service or proximately due to his service-connected conditions.

The Veteran's claims for bilateral hip and knee disabilities are being remanded due to the need for a secondary service connection examination. The examiner will determine if these disabilities are at least as likely as not caused or aggravated by his service-connected shell fragment wound residuals.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hip and knee disabilities are not service-connected as they do not meet the criteria for service connection.

The Board found that the Veteran's right hip disability is not related to service and denied both his claim for service connection and his request for a temporary total rating based on his right hip disability.

The Board found that the Veteran's hypertension, bilateral hip disability, and low back disability were not incurred or aggravated by active service.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection for a bilateral hearing loss disability, tinnitus, lumbar spine disability, and right hip disability have been dismissed as the Veteran has withdrawn his appeal of these issues.

The Veteran's erectile dysfunction is at least as likely as not related to his service-connected diabetes. The Board grants service connection for erectile dysfunction secondary to diabetes.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for additional examinations and development of his claims, including for service connection for hip, leg, and lumbar spine disabilities as well as a psychiatric disability.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for right and left hip conditions, finding that there was no evidence showing these conditions were incurred in or aggravated by service. The decision is final as it was not appealed within one year.

The Board has granted service connection for erectile dysfunction and an upper gastrointestinal system disorder (GERD) as these conditions were first diagnosed during active duty. The lumbar spine and left hip disabilities are not considered to have been incurred in service.

The Board finds that the Veteran does not have a current disability of any of the claimed conditions, and there is no evidence linking these disabilities to service. The VA examinations and VHA specialist opinions do not support a finding that any of the disabilities are related to the 1969 motor vehicle accident.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for right and left hip disabilities, as well as a low back disability, have been denied. The Board finds that the evidence does not support the presence of current hip or low back disabilities.

The Veteran does not have a diagnosed acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, related to service.,There is no evidence of a current right ankle disorder.