The Board has determined that the grant of service connection for traumatic arthritis of the left hip, as secondary to a service-connected left ankle disability, was clearly and unmistakably erroneous. The case is being remanded to determine whether the veteran's low back disability should be rated higher.
The deciding factor: The prior decision granting service connection for traumatic arthritis of the left hip was based on X-rays revealing degenerative changes, but no actual diagnosis of arthritis has been established by X-ray findings. The current evidence does not support the grant of service connection for this condition.
- Claimed conditions
- Low Back Disability (Lumbar Spine), Traumatic Arthritis of the Left Hip
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 15, 2005
- Citation
- 0504014
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,669 · Granted: 23% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
This is a plain-language summary generated by AI from a public Board of Veterans’ Appeals decision. It can contain errors — always verify against the original. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 0504014.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied a disability rating in excess of 20 percent for traumatic arthritis of the left hip and left knee on an extraschedular basis, finding that the available schedular evaluations were adequate.
- Granted
The Veteran's initial disability rating for traumatic arthritis of the left hip was granted at a 30 percent level effective October 1, 2006. The VA found that his range of motion did not meet criteria for higher ratings based on limitation of flexion.
- Denied
The veteran's service-connected traumatic arthritis of the left hip and knee have been rated at 20 percent each, but he contends that his disabilities warrant higher ratings due to pain and inability to work.,The VA has determined that the veteran's hip and knee conditions do not meet criteria for a disability rating in excess of 20 percent.
- Denied
The Board has determined that the veteran's traumatic arthritis of the left hip does not warrant an increased initial evaluation beyond the currently assigned 10 percent rating.
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