The Veteran's currently diagnosed DJD of the right hip is found to be proximately due to or the result of his service-connected right ankle disability, and thus service connection for this condition is granted.
The deciding factor: Multiple private physicians have related the Veteran's right hip symptomatology to the now service-connected right ankle disability. The VA examiner's opinion that the right ankle disorder would only affect the left hip was found to be incorrect by a private orthopedist, who opined there was a 51% probability (as likely as not) that the right ankle deformity caused the right hip disorder.
- Claimed conditions
- Right Hip DJD
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 31, 2017
- Citation
- 1730349
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 1730349.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not meet the criteria for specially adapted housing (SAH) or special home adaptation (SHA) grant due to his respiratory disability, which is presumed by the PACT Act. The Board found that the Veteran does not have a permanent and total disability resulting in anatomical loss of use of both hands, burns, or residuals of an inhalational injury.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various hip, knee, and ankle disabilities as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected degenerative disc disease (DDD) and intervertebral disc disease (IVDS) of the lumbar spine.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's dysthymic disorder is rated at 50 percent since August 11, 2017. The Board found that the symptoms did not meet criteria for a higher rating.,Right knee and right hip DJD are both currently rated at 10 percent.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral knee and hip disabilities are reopened due to the submission of new and material evidence. However, the claims remain in remand status as further medical examination is needed to determine if his current disabilities were caused or aggravated by his service-connected lumbar spine disability.
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