The Veteran's service connection for insomnia is granted as secondary to her service-connected back and hip disabilities. An increased rating of 40 percent, but no higher, is granted for her thoracic spine disability. A TDIU rating is granted based on her unemployability due to her service-connected disabilities.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's testimony supported by medical records established that her insomnia was secondary to pain from her service-connected back and hip disabilities, warranting the grant of service connection. The increased rating for her thoracic spine disability is based on her consistent reports of severe pain and functional impairment. The TDIU rating is granted due to her unemployability caused by her service-connected disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- Insomnia, Thoracic spine (upper back) disability, Neck disability, Left knee disability, Right knee disability, Service-connected right hip disability, Chest disability, Left upper extremity tingling, Right upper extremity tingling, Left foot arthritis and numbness, Right foot arthritis and numbness
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 40%
- Decision date
- October 26, 2018
- Citation
- 18145059
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 18145059.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for chronic headaches, CFS, dermatosis, bilateral RLS, a lumbar spine disability, and sleep apnea but denied a compensable evaluation for allergic rhinitis.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for Meniere's disease, to include benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), secondary to tinnitus and dismissed the claims for a left knee disability, right knee disability, and post-traumatic stress disorder.
- Partly granted
The Board denied the claims for an initial compensable rating for left ear sensorineural hearing loss, service connection for a right ear hearing loss disability, and a left eye disorder. However, it granted service connection for a back disability and radiculopathy of both lower extremities as secondary to the back disability.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for insomnia, fatigue, gallstones, varicose veins, anemia, colitis, and PTSD due to a lack of evidence supporting the claims.
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