The Board denied service connection for shortness of breath and lateral collateral ligament sprain of the right ankle, finding no current disability and insufficient evidence of service connection. The Board remanded the claim for spinal stenosis with disc herniation for further development.
The deciding factor: For shortness of breath, no current diagnosis exists in the record, post-service treatment records fail to document respiratory symptoms, the VA examiner found only subjective complaints without objective pathology, and the examiner opined the condition was less likely than not caused by toxic exposure; for the right ankle, the evidence persuasively weighed against finding the condition began during service or was related to an in-service injury.
- Claimed conditions
- shortness of breath, lateral collateral ligament sprain, right ankle, spinal stenosis with disc herniation, lateral collateral ligament sprain, left ankle
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 27, 2025
- Citation
- A25018194
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for a chronic undiagnosed illness manifested by bilateral leg pain, bilateral hand tremors, sinus problems, shortness of breath and recurrent transient ear noise due to Gulf War service. Service connection was denied for CFS.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for multiple conditions due to a need for additional development, including obtaining medical opinions considering all toxic exposure risk activities (TERAs) under the Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxins Act of 2022.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for right and left ankle disabilities, a skin rash, and denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, shortness of breath, PTSD, OSA, cervical spine disability, lumbar spine disability, knee disabilities, CPS, and earlier effective dates.
- Granted
The Board granted an effective date of January 19, 2021, for the award of service connection for shortness of breath.
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