The Board granted service connection for a cervical spine disability, bilateral knee disability, left ankle disability, and bilateral foot disability as secondary to the veteran's service-connected lumbar intervertebral syndrome. The claims for a bilateral elbow disability, bilateral hand disability, bilateral shoulder disability, and right ankle disability were denied.
The deciding factor: The positive evidence supported a relationship between the disabilities in the neck, knees, left ankle, and feet and the service-connected lumbar spine condition due to altered weight-bearing and gait. The negative evidence did not provide sufficient basis to support a relationship for the other disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- Arthritis in the knees, Bilateral elbow disability, Left ankle disability, Right ankle disability, Cervical spine disability, Arthritis of the hands, Arthritis of the shoulders, Bilateral foot disability
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 1, 2008
- Citation
- 0814433
What this means for you
A partial grant means some issues were granted while others were denied or remanded — common in multi-issue claims. Look at which issues went which way, and how each was argued.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including diabetes mellitus, type II, coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure, hypertension, asthma/lung disease, vision disability, bilateral plantar fasciitis, leukocytosis, kidney disease/kidney stones, enlarged prostate, sleep apnea, rheumatoid arthritis, lumbar spine disability, right ankle disability, and left ankle disability.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for low back disability, cervical spine disability, and right leg nerve disability as the evidence did not support a causal relationship between these conditions and the Veteran's active service.
- Dismissed
The appeals for service connection for right ear hearing loss and a compensable evaluation for left ear hearing loss were dismissed as the Veteran withdrew his appeals at a December 2024 Board hearing. The remaining claims are being remanded for further development.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for a separate 50 percent initial rating for insomnia as secondary to tinnitus, and denied an increased rating for tinnitus. The Board also granted service connection for headache disability, low back disability, left lower extremity radiculopathy, cervical spine disability, and right upper extremity radiculopathy.
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