The Board granted applications to reopen claims for right shoulder injury, left shoulder injury, and numbness in face based on new and material evidence, and remanded these conditions along with TBI rating, headaches, fractured finger, PTSD, and foot disorders for further development. The Board denied service connection for right leg disorder, left leg disorder, sleep apnea, and skin cancer of the back.
The deciding factor: The Board found new and material evidence supported reopening the shoulder and facial numbness claims based on detailed Veteran testimony regarding in-service boxing injuries, but denied leg disorder and skin cancer claims due to lack of in-service documentation and multi-year gaps between service separation and condition manifestation, and remanded other conditions for further development.
- Claimed conditions
- Right shoulder injury, Left shoulder injury, Numbness in face, Right leg disorder, Left leg disorder, Sleep apnea, Skin cancer of the back, Traumatic brain injury (TBI), Atypical headaches associated with TBI, Fractured fourth right finger, Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with mood disorder and chronic fatigue, Right foot disorder, Left foot disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 17, 2020
- Citation
- 20004400
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.
- 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 bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, a low back disability, residuals of a right foot injury, sinusitis, shortness of breath, allergic rhinitis, and sleep apnea as there was no evidence to support a link between these conditions and the Veteran's military service.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an effective date of May 29, 2019 for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder but denied earlier effective dates and increased ratings for other conditions.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including diabetes mellitus, type II, coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure, hypertension, asthma/lung disease, vision disability, bilateral plantar fasciitis, leukocytosis, kidney disease/kidney stones, enlarged prostate, sleep apnea, rheumatoid arthritis, lumbar spine disability, right ankle disability, and left ankle disability.
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