Citation Nr: 18158005 Decision Date: 12/14/18 Archive Date: 12/13/18 DOCKET NO. 16-43 230 DATE: December 14, 2018 REMANDED Entitlement to service connection for a right hip disability claimed as right hip arthritis is remanded. REASONS FOR REMAND The Veteran served on active duty in the U.S. Air Force from August 1975 to August 1978. 1. Entitlement to service connection for a right hip disability is remanded. The Veteran has not undergone a VA examination in connection with his claim for service connection for a right hip disability. Under the duty to assist, a medical examination or medical opinion is considered necessary if the information and evidence of record does not contain sufficient competent medical evidence to decide the claim, but (1) contains competent medical evidence of a currently diagnosed disability or persistent or recurrent symptoms of a disability; (2) establishes that the Veteran suffered an event, injury, or disease in service; and (3) indicates that the claimed disability or symptoms may be associated with an established event, injury or disease in service or with another service-connected disability. See McClendon v. Nicholson, 20 Vet. App. 79 (2006); 38 C.F.R. § 3.159 (c)(4). The Veteran contends the he developed arthritis in his right hip because of exposure to cold temperatures during his active service. The record, however, does not contain a diagnosis of right hip arthritis. The Board acknowledges that the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims has held that when a Veteran claims service connection, he or she is not claiming service connection for a specific diagnosis but for his or her symptoms regardless of the diagnosis, and the claim encompasses the underlying condition regardless of diagnosis. Clemons v. Shinseki, 23 Vet. App. 1, 4-6 (2009). As such, the Board has considered whether the record suggests any current right hip disability. VA treating physician, Dr. S. N., diagnosed the Veteran with arthralgia of the hip in December 2014. The record also contains significant evidence of treatment for recurrent right hip pain in the form of VA treatment records. Therefore, the Board determines that the record contains competent medical evidence of a current disability. The Veteran competently and credibly testified that his military occupational specialty (MOS) as a refrigeration and air conditioning specialist frequently exposed him to cold temperatures and that he sometimes experienced stiffness in his hip after working. Because the evidence indicates that the claimed disability or symptoms may be associated with an established in-service event, a medical examiner must comment on any etiological relationship between the Veteran’s MOS and his right hip disability. The Veteran should also be given the opportunity to submit additional evidence from private medical providers. The matter is REMANDED for the following action: 1. Contact the Veteran and ask him to identify any VA and private medical treatment records for his right hip disability. Obtain any outstanding VA treatment records. For any private records, the RO should provide the Veteran with the appropriate authorizations so that these records can be obtained. 2. After obtaining any identified outstanding records, schedule the Veteran for a VA examination with an appropriate examiner to assess the nature and etiology of any currently diagnosed right hip disabilities. The Veteran’s file and a copy of this remand must be made available to the reviewing examiner, and the examiner should indicate in the report that the file was reviewed. The examiner is advised that the Veteran is competent to attest to observable symptoms. If there is a medical basis to support or doubt the Veteran’s reports of symptomatology, the examiner should provide a fully reasoned explanation. i) The examiner is asked to identify all current right hip disabilities, to include arthralgia. (Continued on the next page)   ii) For each identified disability, to include arthralgia, the examiner should provide an opinion as to whether it is at least as likely as not (50 percent or greater probability) that the identified right hip disability is related to his military service, to include his duties working on refrigeration and air conditioning repairs and being exposed to cold environments. GAYLE STROMMEN Veterans Law Judge Board of Veterans’ Appeals ATTORNEY FOR THE BOARD C. Sherman Associate Counsel