The Veteran's claims for service connection have been reopened and are granted. The RO has issued new ratings for the Veteran's PTSD, thoracolumbar spine disorder, radiculopathy of the right lower extremity, and tinnitus.
The deciding factor: New evidence was received that relates to unestablished facts necessary to substantiate the claims for service connection for a right shoulder and right knee disorders, sleep apnea, and headaches. The Veteran's current diagnoses do not meet the criteria for the requested increased ratings.
- Claimed conditions
- Right Shoulder Disorder, Right Knee Disorder, Sleep Apnea, Right Hip Disorder, Gastrointestinal Disorder (due to environmental hazards in Gulf War), Headaches
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 9, 2019
- Citation
- 19126611
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 service connection for various disabilities, including an acquired psychiatric disability, headaches, a back disability, heart disability, and residuals of a stroke, as the evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were related to the Veteran's active service or caused by his service-connected left ear disabilities.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew the appeal in September 2025, stating that she is now 100% permanently and totally disabled effective April 29, 2025.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for a disability rating in excess of 50 percent for PTSD with TBI and a disability rating in excess of 10 percent for headaches as secondary to PTSD with TBI due to a duty to assist error.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for erectile dysfunction and remanded the claims for a sleep disorder and headaches to ensure proper development of evidence.
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