Citation Nr: 19147331 Decision Date: 06/17/19 Archive Date: 06/17/19 DOCKET NO. 18-15 513 DATE: June 17, 2019 ORDER Entitlement to service connection for a right hip disability is remanded. REASONS FOR REMAND The Veteran had active service from February 1978 to March 1999. This matter comes to the Board of Veterans’ Appeals (Board) from a May 2014 rating decision of the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (VA) Regional Office (RO). Remand A remand of this matter is necessary to provide the Veteran with a new VA compensation examination in response to his claim for service connection for right hip disability. The Veteran asserts that his currently diagnosed right hip disability is related to his military service. Specifically, he reported that he injured his right hip during an in-service helicopter exercise. The Veteran stated that he jumped from the helicopter with his full pack on, which caused an injury to his right hip. See October 2013 Statement in support of claim. The Veteran’s service treatment records dated February 1990 show that he reported having had right hip pain. The Veteran was referred to another physician for an examination. The physician noted that the Veteran had experienced pain “on and off” for six months and that he walked with a limp. The Veteran was placed on light duty for 2 days. Post-service treatment records indicated that the Veteran has been diagnosed with, impingement syndrome, trochanteric pain syndrome which includes trochanteric bursitis and as osteoarthritis of the hip. See May 2013 private treatment records, April 2015 VA treatment records and January 2018 VA examination. The Board notes that the Veteran’s April 2015 VA treatment records list a diagnosis of osteoarthritis of the hip. However, there is no indication that radiological imaging was performed at this examination. Given that radiological imaging is required to confirm a diagnosis of arthritis, the Board finds that a remand is required to provide the Veteran with x-rays to determine whether he has osteoarthritis of the hip. Next, the Board notes that the Veteran was provided a VA compensation examination in January 2018. Here, the VA examiner opined that the Veteran’s right hip trochanteric bursitis is less likely than not incurred in or caused by the claimed in-service injury, event or illness. The examiner reasoned that the file was “silent for any hip condition or treatment for right hip while the Veteran was in the service.” This statement however is not accurate as the service records show right hip complaints for which light duty was ordered. To the extent that the examiner’s opinion is based on an inaccurate factual premise, it is not adequate and ultimately of no probative value. See Reonal v. Brown, 5 Vet. App. 458, 460-61 (1993). Moreover, the record contains consistent lay statement from the Veteran which described his right hip pain but were not addressed by the examiner. Therefore, remand is required to obtain an adequate medical opinion that takes into account all of the Veteran’s complete medical history, including all lay statements regarding right hip pain. The matters are REMANDED for the following actions: 1. Ensure that all outstanding VA treatment records are associated with the claims file. 2. Then, schedule the Veteran for a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of his right hip disability. Any necessary tests or studies should be conducted, and all clinical findings should be reported in detail and correlated to a specific diagnosis. The claims file and a copy of this remand will be made available to the examiner, who will acknowledge receipt and review of these materials. After examination of Veteran and review of the claims file, the VA examiner is asked to respond to the following: i) Determine whether there is radiographic evidence of osteoarthritis of the right hip. In doing so, address an April 2015 VA treatment record showing a diagnosis of osteoarthritis of right hip. ii) If arthritis in the right hip is confirmed by x-rays, determine whether it is at least as likely as not (i.e., a 50 percent or greater probability) related to his military service, to include the reported jump from a helicopter during service, his February 1990 in-service treatment for right hip pain with subsequent light duty, and any reports of continuing symptoms since service. iii) Also provide another opinion as to whether the Veteran’s impingement syndrome and trochanteric pain syndrome, including trochanteric bursitis, had its onset during active duty service or is otherwise related to it. In doing so, consider his reported jump from a helicopter during service, the in-service treatment for right hip pain with subsequent light duty for 2 days, and his post-service reports of right hip pain. All opinions are to be accompanied by a rationale consistent with the evidence of record. 3. Then, readjudicate the claim on appeal. S. B. MAYS Veterans Law Judge Board of Veterans’ Appeals ATTORNEY FOR THE BOARD D. Wagner, Associate Counsel The Board’s decision in this case is binding only with respect to the instant matter decided. This decision is not precedential, and does not establish VA policies or interpretations of general applicability. 38 C.F.R. § 20.1303.