The Veteran's claims for service connection have been reopened, and the Board has granted service connection for a cervical spine disability. The claims for right carpal tunnel syndrome and left carpal tunnel syndrome are remanded due to lack of medical records. The claim for an acquired psychiatric disorder is also remanded as new evidence suggests it may be related to his military service.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's symptoms, including chronic neck pain since 1991, align with the diagnoses provided in post-service treatment records and VA examinations. His reported stressors during active duty are considered for a PTSD diagnosis, but not confirmed due to lack of combat experience verification.
- Claimed conditions
- cervical myositis, mild diffuse osteopenia, minimal C5 spondylosis, depressive disorder, NOS with anxiety features
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 14, 2020
- Citation
- 20002443
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 granted a disability rating of 50 percent for the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, characterized as depressive disorder, effective May 1, 2017.
- Partly granted
The Veteran is granted service connection for migraine headaches secondary to tinnitus, effective April 1, 2021. The claim for an earlier effective date for depressive disorder was denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for an acquired psychiatric disorder to obtain a VA examination and etiological opinion.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for lumbar spine degenerative arthritis, left and right lower extremity radiculopathies, left and right hip pain, right knee degenerative arthritis, generalized anxiety disorder, and depressive disorder.
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