Service connection for acquired psychiatric disability, including depressive and anxiety disorders, is granted.,Service connection for right lower extremity radiculopathy, headaches, hearing loss, and tinnitus are all denied. Service connection for degenerative disc disease is granted with a rating of 50 percent effective from April 5, 2016.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's service medical records show treatment for psychiatric symptoms during service, which the VA examiner found to be consistent with his reported traumatic events. The Veteran has not provided credible supporting evidence that the claimed in-service stressor occurred.
- Claimed conditions
- degenerative disc disease, right lower extremity radiculopathy, headaches, hearing loss, tinnitus, acquired psychiatric disability (including depressive and anxiety disorders), residuals of cold injury of the hands and fingers
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 50%
- Decision date
- December 14, 2018
- Citation
- 18158052
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 18158052.
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.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's headaches are at least as likely as not caused by his service-connected traumatic brain injury, and thus grants service connection for this condition.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hearing loss, tinnitus, and an acquired psychiatric disorder due to incomplete medical records and need for further examination.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus, arthritis, and memory loss. The decision found no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.
- Granted
The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as service connected. The issues of foot disability and cardiovascular disorder are remanded for additional development.
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