The Board denied entitlement to increased ratings for thoracic spine disorder and radiculopathy, but granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric condition as secondary to the service-connected thoracic spine condition.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's symptoms were found to be fully contemplated by the current rating criteria, and there was no evidence of a more severe disability that would warrant a higher rating. However, the Board found that the Veteran's acquired psychiatric condition was due to or aggravated by his service-connected thoracic spine disorder.
- Claimed conditions
- thoracic spine disorder, acquired psychiatric condition, to include somatic symptom disorder
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 4, 2025
- Citation
- 25007531
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 multiple spinal conditions and a right foot disorder, effective from the date of the September 2024 rating decision.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection, dismissing or denying all appeals.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for chronic fatigue syndrome, hemorrhoids, and a thoracic spine disorder. Service connection was granted for hypertension, and an initial rating of 30 percent was assigned for irritable bowel syndrome.
- Dismissed
The Board denied the Veteran's requests for extensions of time to file appeals regarding a thoracic spine disorder and a cervical spine disorder, dismissing both attempted appeals.
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