The Veteran's right hand weakness and left hand weakness, as well as his acquired psychiatric disorder (depression and anxiety), are not service-connected.,However, the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder is granted secondary to his service-connected lumbar spine disability and lower extremity peripheral neuropathy.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found that the upper extremity nerve impairment was not related to service or service-connected conditions. The examiner also found that the loss of balance and dizziness were more likely due to cervical myelopathy, rather than lumbar spine disability.,For the acquired psychiatric disorder, a private medical opinion stated it is at least as likely as not caused by chronic pain from his service-connected lumbar spine disability and lower extremity peripheral neuropathy.
- Claimed conditions
- Right hand weakness, upper extremity nerve impairment, Left hand weakness, upper extremity nerve impairment, Acquired psychiatric disorder (depression and anxiety)
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 19, 2022
- Citation
- 22002725
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 22002725.
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.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for Parkinson's disease, an acquired psychiatric disorder (depression and anxiety) as secondary to Parkinson's disease, and degenerative arthritis, lumbosacral strain with history of lumbar laminectomies, and bilateral radiculopathies as secondary to Parkinson's disease.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for a heart condition, hypertension, bilateral lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, and an acquired psychiatric disorder as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected prostate cancer. The claim for a compensable disability rating for erectile dysfunction was withdrawn by the Veteran, and the discontinuance of the 100 percent rating for residuals of prostate cancer was deemed proper.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for right knee, left knee, right wrist, and left wrist disabilities due to the absence of current diagnoses during the relevant evidentiary window. The claim for an acquired psychiatric disorder was remanded for further development, as was the back disability claim.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for right ear hearing loss, obstructive sleep apnea, and an increased rating for his acquired psychiatric disorder. The case is also remanded for a TDIU determination.,The Board has also remanded the issue of entitlement to a total disability rating based upon individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities (TDIU).,The Veteran's claims are being remanded for further development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling examinations. The case will be readjudicated after all development is completed.,The Board has also remanded the issue of entitlement to a total disability rating based upon individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities (TDIU).
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