The Board has granted service connection for bilateral patellar tendinitis (jumper's knee), bilateral shin splints, and elbow osteoarthritis. The remaining claims of service connection for sleep apnea, TBI including headaches and seizures, and a disorder of the thoracic and/or lumbar spine are remanded for further development.
The deciding factor: The Veteran provided competent testimony regarding his in-service injuries and their current manifestations, which is sufficient to establish an initial low threshold for service connection. However, additional medical opinions are needed to address the etiology of his TBI-related conditions (headaches and seizures) and any thoracic/lumbar spine disability.
- Claimed conditions
- sleep apnea, bilateral knee disorder, bilateral shin splints, bilateral elbow disorder, disorder of the thoracic and/or lumbar spine, right wrist disorder (including ganglion cyst), residuals of a traumatic brain injury (TBI) including headaches and seizures
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 6, 2016
- Citation
- 1626842
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 1626842.
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 Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for sleep apnea, finding that there was no evidence of a chronic disease manifesting within one year after service and concluding that the current disability is not related to his in-service deviated septum.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for additional development regarding the Veteran's claim of service connection for sleep apnea. The Veteran will be provided with a VA examination to determine if his current sleep disorder is related to his military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the issue of service connection for sleep apnea due to insufficient medical opinions and need for further development.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew his appeal regarding the claims for sleep apnea and an increased disability rating for diabetes mellitus, type II.
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