The Veteran's thoracic and lumbar spine disorder, headaches including migraines with aura, and neurological disorder of the left arm are all found to be secondary to his service-connected right knee strain, DJD (arthritis) of the cervical spine with IVDS, and radiculopathy with CTS of the right upper extremity.,The Veteran's heart disorder is also found to be secondary to his service-connected hypertension.
The deciding factor: The medical opinions provided by Dr. Mitchell indicate that the Veteran's thoracic and lumbar spine disorder, headaches including migraines with aura, and neurological disorder of the left arm are all caused or aggravated by his service-connected right knee strain, DJD (arthritis) of the cervical spine with IVDS, and radiculopathy with CTS of the right upper extremity.
- Claimed conditions
- Thoracic and lumbar spine disorder, Headaches including migraines with aura (previously claimed as sinusitis), Neurological disorder of the left arm, to include neuropathy, sciatica, neuritis, radiculopathy, ulnar nerve pain, and CTS
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 31, 2022
- Citation
- 22031615
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 22031615.
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.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's post-operative lumbar spine injury residuals with degenerative arthritis originated during service and granted service connection for this condition. The issues of entitlement to service connection for a cervical spine disorder, left knee disorder, and an initial rating in excess of 50 percent for PTSD are addressed in the REMAND portion of the decision.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's headaches are at least as likely as not caused by his service-connected traumatic brain injury, and thus grants service connection for this condition.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hypertension and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
- Granted
The Veteran's major depressive disorder is found to be caused by his service-connected low back and radiculopathy disabilities, which prevent him from doing enjoyable activities and daily living tasks.
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