Hip Board decisions

The Board found that the veteran's claims for service connection were not well grounded and denied them. The March 1996 rating decision assigning a 10% disability rating for bilateral pes planus was not clearly erroneous.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claims of service connection for left hip disability, left knee disability, and hearing loss disability are not well grounded. The evidence does not support a finding of current disability or a link to service.

The Board has determined that the appellant's service-connected disabilities, including his lumbar spine disorder and right knee disability, are severe enough to prevent him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation. The cervical spine disorder is not found to be related to service or any other service-connected condition.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claims for service connection for disabilities of the bilateral hips and right shoulder are well grounded. The appeal is granted to this extent, but further development is required as per the instructions in this remand.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a left hip condition and to reopen his claim of entitlement to service connection for a back condition. The decision found that there was no medical evidence linking these conditions to military service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claims for a right leg disability, foot disability, and bilateral hip disability are not well grounded. However, service connection is granted for a bilateral hip disability as secondary to his service-connected post-operative herniated nucleus pulposus.

The Board has determined that there is not enough evidence to support the claim of service connection for a right hip disability as secondary to the service-connected fracture of the right femur.

The Board found that the veteran's claim for service connection of a left hip disability is not well grounded. The claim for an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for major depressive disorder prior to July 17, 1998 was denied and the claim for a rating in excess of 30 percent for major depressive disorder with PTSD subsequent to July 17, 1998 is also denied.

The Board finds that the veteran's claim for service connection for right hip disability on a secondary basis is not well grounded. The claim for increased rating of right knee disability has been granted with a 10% evaluation effective from February 1996.

The Board has determined that the veteran's degenerative changes of the lumbar spine are service-connected, and he also has current disabilities in his hips, knees, and ankles. However, there is no evidence to support a finding of service connection for chronic knee or ankle disorders.

The Board has determined that there is no competent medical evidence linking the appellant's current left knee, right knee, or left hip disabilities to his service-connected residuals of a left ankle fracture. Therefore, the claims for these conditions are denied.

The veteran's claim for a total rating based on individual unemployability (TRIU) is denied as his service-connected disabilities do not meet the legal threshold for such a rating.

The veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including fatigue, dermatitis of the feet, and upper gastrointestinal disability are granted due to their being related to undiagnosed illnesses possibly associated with service in the Southwest Asia theater during the Persian Gulf War.

The Board has granted a 20% evaluation for the veteran's left hip disability, effective from the date of the decision. A separate 10% rating is also granted for degenerative joint disease of the left hip.

The Board denied compensation benefits under the provisions of 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151 for cervical spine and right hip disabilities due to VA surgical treatment, finding no causal connection between the treatments and additional disability.

The Board has reopened the claim of service connection for chronic low back disability due to new and material evidence. The veteran's low back disability is found to be proximately due to or aggravated by his service-connected left knee disability, which was previously granted. Service connection for chronic left hip disability remains denied.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claims for secondary service connection for left knee, right knee, left hip, right hip and low back disabilities are not well grounded. The evidence does not support a finding of causation or aggravation by his service-connected bilateral pes planus.

The Board of Veterans' Appeals has determined that the veteran did not incur additional disability of the left hip as a result of VA surgical treatment, and therefore denied his claim for compensation under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151.

The Board has determined that the veteran's right hip and right shoulder disabilities do not warrant increased ratings under the applicable VA rating criteria.

The veteran's claims for increased ratings were denied as his conditions did not warrant a higher rating based on the current evidence of record.