The Board finds that the evidence is at least in equipoise as to whether the Veteran's cervical spine, lumbar spine, and sinusitis/rhinitis disabilities are related to service. The claims for these conditions have been granted.
The deciding factor: Medical opinions from both a private examiner and a VA examiner are provided, with each side offering differing conclusions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's disabilities. The Board finds that these opinions create equipoise in determining whether the disabilities are related to service.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbar spine disability, cervical spine disability, sinusitis and rhinitis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 12, 2018
- Citation
- 1802781
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 1802781.
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 multiple conditions, including bilateral hearing loss and various musculoskeletal issues, as well as an initial rating in excess of 0 percent for rhinitis. However, the Board granted a 70 percent rating for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 20 percent disability rating for left and right lower extremity radiculopathy from April 3, 2023 onward, but denied higher ratings prior to that date. Service connection was also granted for alcohol use disorder as secondary to PTSD with traumatic brain injury.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including prostate cancer and related disabilities, urinary incontinence, sleep apnea, hypertension, varicose veins, lumbar spine disability, hip arthritis, shoulder arthritis, ankle arthritis, knee strain, knee replacement, and hand arthritis. The only condition granted was a 10 percent rating for a fracture of the right proximal first metacarpal.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for a lumbar spine disability and a muscle condition due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error, as the Veteran did not receive notice of scheduled VA examinations.
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