The Board granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder as secondary to a service-connected traumatic brain injury and tinnitus, but remanded the claims for other conditions due to insufficient evidence.
The deciding factor: The decision was based on credible reports of in-service stressors and continuous symptoms, and the inability to differentiate between TBI-related and non-TBI mental health diagnoses.
- Claimed conditions
- major depression, anxiety disorder, tinnitus, bilateral hearing loss disability, left knee condition (strain with patellar instability and tendinopathy), right knee condition (strain with patellar instability and tendinopathy), cervical spine condition, left arm condition, right arm condition, left elbow condition, right elbow condition, left foot condition, right foot condition (plantar fasciitis), left hand condition, right hand condition, left shoulder condition, right shoulder condition, left wrist condition, right wrist condition, low back condition (lumbago), obstructive sleep apnea
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 100%
- Decision date
- October 4, 2024
- Citation
- A24063410
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 obstructive sleep apnea, effective from the date of the February 2025 rating decision.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for tinnitus to correct a duty to assist error, as the Veteran's lay statements regarding onset and continuity of symptoms were not adequately considered in the previous decision.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew the appeals for service connection for bilateral pes planus, obstructive sleep apnea, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for tinnitus, cubital tunnel syndrome, right plantar fasciitis, and a right knee disability due to the lack of evidence supporting a nexus between these conditions and the Veteran's military service.
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