The Veteran's claim for service connection for left knee disability, right knee disability, bilateral hearing loss, headaches, psychiatric disorder (including depressive disorder and alcohol use disorder), and PTSD is granted. The claims are based on aggravation of pre-existing conditions during military service.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the Veteran’s current disabilities were aggravated by his in-service injuries and therefore warrant service connection under the theory of aggravation.
- Claimed conditions
- {"condition_name":"Left Knee Disability (ACL sprain and osteoarthritis)"}, {"condition_name":"Right Knee Disability (ACL sprain and osteoarthritis)"}, {"condition_name":"Bilateral Hearing Loss"}, {"condition_name":"Headaches"}, {"condition_name":"Psychiatric Disorder (Depressive disorder not otherwise specified and alcohol use disorder)"}, {"condition_name":"Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)"}
- How they argued it
- Aggravation of a pre-existing condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 23, 2020
- Citation
- 20004491
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a medical opinion on whether plantar fasciitis was aggravated by active duty training.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 30 percent rating for the Veteran's service-connected migraine headaches, but no greater.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for bilateral pes planus based on aggravation of a preexisting disability, but denied service connection for right and left knee disabilities.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for GERD as it was aggravated by the Veteran's service-connected disabilities, but denied service connection for ED due to a lack of evidence showing a current diagnosis. The issue of entitlement to service connection for anxiety is remanded.
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