The Veteran's claim for service connection for a chronic headache disorder is granted. The claims for service connection for right lower extremity neurological disorder, degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, femoral radiculopathy, and sciatic radiculopathy are denied.
The deciding factor: The evidence is at least in equipoise as to whether the Veteran's chronic headache disorder was aggravated by his service-connected tinnitus. The Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of a right lower extremity neurological disorder or associated objective neurologic abnormalities. The Veteran’s lumbar spine disability has not resulted in unfavorable ankylosis, incapacitating episodes, or associated objective neurologic abnormalities. The Veteran's femoral and sciatic radiculopathies do not approximate moderate incomplete paralysis.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic headache disorder, right lower extremity neurological disorder, degenerative disc disease, lumbar spine, femoral radiculopathy, left lower extremity, sciatic radiculopathy, left lower extremity
- How they argued it
- Aggravation of a pre-existing condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 40%
- Decision date
- January 23, 2020
- Citation
- 20005878
Veterans Law Judge
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 20005878.
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for increased disability ratings and TDIU have been dismissed due to his withdrawal of the appeal.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided that the Veteran does not have a current disability of hearing loss and denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss. The Board also found insufficient evidence to establish service connection for degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, thus remanding the case.
- Denied
The Board has denied service connection for a neck disorder and a chronic headache disorder as these conditions are not shown to be causally or etiologically related to the appellant's military service.
- Granted
The Veteran was granted a TDIU and DEA benefits effective July 5, 2017. The Board found that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him unemployable since January 31, 2016.
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