The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder and lumbar spine disability are granted as secondary to his service-connected bilateral knee disability. The earlier effective date claim for the bilateral knees is dismissed due to lack of legal entitlement.
The deciding factor: The Board found that there was at least an approximate balance of positive and negative evidence supporting a nexus between the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder and lumbar spine disability, both secondary to his service-connected bilateral knee disability.
- Claimed conditions
- Acquired psychiatric disorder, Lumbar spine disability
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 0%
- Decision date
- January 28, 2020
- Citation
- 20006975
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.
- 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.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, finding a causal relationship between the condition and an in-service incident of military sexual trauma (MST).
- Denied
The veteran's bad conduct discharge precludes eligibility for VA benefits, including compensation and healthcare.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the issue of entitlement to service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error.
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