The Board granted service connection for allergic rhinitis, adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depressed mood, left thigh varicose veins, lumbosacral strain secondary to bilateral pes planus, and right Achilles tendonitis secondary to bilateral pes planus.
The deciding factor: Service connection was granted based on the Veteran's exposure to fine particulate matter during service in Southwest Asia and the current presence of allergic rhinitis, as well as a reasonable doubt resolution for adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depressed mood. The lumbosacral strain and right Achilles tendonitis were also found to be caused by the service-connected bilateral pes planus.
- Claimed conditions
- allergic rhinitis (claimed as sinusitis), adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depressed mood, left thigh varicose veins, lumbosacral strain, secondary to service-connected bilateral pes planus, right Achilles tendonitis, secondary service-connected bilateral pes planus
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Gulf War
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 4, 2024
- Citation
- 24000731
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 granted service connection for lumbosacral strain, finding that the Veteran's low back injury occurred during a period of active duty for training (ADT) and continued therefrom.
- Partly granted
The Board granted earlier effective dates for TDIU and DEA, but denied increased ratings for various service-connected conditions.
- Denied
The Board denied an earlier effective date and a higher initial rating for the service-connected adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depressed mood, finding that the earliest possible effective date had been assigned.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 20 percent rating for right leg sciatica with radiculopathy pain and paresthesia, but denied increased ratings for PTSD, lumbosacral strain, left wrist limitation of motion with ganglion cyst, and service connection for headaches, unspecified. Several issues were remanded.
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