The Board granted service connection for DDD and IVDS, acquired psychiatric disorder (MDD), diabetes mellitus type II, and peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities secondary to diabetes. The Board also denied an initial compensable disability rating for bilateral hearing loss from April 29, 2014 to December 4, 2024, but granted a TDIU effective August 10, 2022.

The deciding factor: The evidence was approximately evenly balanced as to whether the Veteran's conditions were related to his active duty service, and reasonable doubt was resolved in favor of the Veteran.

Claimed conditions

Degenerative Disc Disease (DDD) and Intervertebral Disc Syndrome (IVDS), Acquired Psychiatric Disorder, Diagnosed as Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), Diabetes Mellitus Type II, Right Upper Extremity Peripheral Neuropathy, Left Upper Extremity Peripheral Neuropathy, Right Lower Extremity Peripheral Neuropathy, Left Lower Extremity Peripheral Neuropathy, Bilateral Hearing Loss

How they argued it

Direct service connection

Exposure basis

None

Rating assigned

None in this decision

Decision date

October 8, 2025

Citation

25012626

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