The Board granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, bilateral ankle disabilities, and bilateral knee disabilities. The claims for GERD and COPD were remanded.
The deciding factor: The positive private and VA opinions supported the necessary elements of service connection on a secondary basis for the acquired psychiatric disorder, while the lay and medical evidence established in-service incurrence and nexus for the bilateral ankle and knee disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- Acquired psychiatric disorder (depression), Bilateral ankle disabilities, Bilateral knee disabilities
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 5, 2025
- Citation
- 25003204
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,240 · Granted: 28% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 25003204.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an effective date prior to July 18, 2012, for a finding of total disability based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities (TDIU). The Board found that the Veteran was not unemployable within one year prior to his July 18, 2012, claim.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities render him so helpless as to require the regular aid and attendance of another person, meeting the criteria for special monthly compensation based on the need for regular aid and attendance.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for service connection are remanded due to inadequate verification of in-service exposure and the need for additional VA examinations.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the claims of service connection for a back disability and initial compensable ratings for bilateral knee disabilities due to procedural errors in obtaining necessary medical opinions. The appellant's claims will be returned to the AOJ for further development.
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