The Board granted service connection for a psychiatric disability, claimed as depression, and denied service connection for colon cancer. The Board also granted increased ratings for Parkinson's disease-related tremors and balance impairment in the right upper extremity and left lower extremity, respectively, while denying such claims for the other extremities.

The deciding factor: The Veteran has been granted service connection for a psychiatric disability as secondary to his service-connected Parkinson's disease. Colon cancer was denied due to lack of evidence linking it to service or herbicide exposure.

Claimed conditions

Depression, Colon cancer, Parkinson's disease with tremors, muscle rigidity and loss of automatic movements in the right upper extremity (right arm), Parkinson's disease with tremors, muscle rigidity and loss of automatic movements in the left upper extremity (left arm), Parkinson's disease with balance impairment and bradykinesia in the right lower extremity (right leg), Parkinson's disease with balance impairment and bradykinesia in the left lower extremity (left leg)

How they argued it

Secondary to another service-connected condition

Exposure basis

None

Rating assigned

30%

Decision date

March 4, 2025

Citation

A25019597

Want to see how appeals like this one tend to go? Appeals like mine