The Board granted service connection for loss of sense of smell, loss of sense of taste, left testicular mass, and left knee total arthroplasty with an effective date of May 26, 2021. The right knee total arthroplasty was also granted as secondary to the left knee disability.
The deciding factor: The Board resolved reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran by finding that his loss of sense of smell and taste had existed prior to his claim for a seizure disorder, and granted service connection based on credible reports of an in-service injury to both knees.
- Claimed conditions
- loss of sense of smell, loss of sense of taste, left testicular mass, left knee total arthroplasty, right knee total arthroplasty
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 100%
- Decision date
- March 12, 2025
- Citation
- A25023156
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran is granted an additional month of a total disability rating for his right knee, concluding on November 1, 2024.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for PTSD and an initial 20 percent rating for dry eye syndrome with pinguecula, while denying service connection for other psychiatric disorders, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and multiple musculoskeletal conditions. Some claims were remanded for further development.
- Granted
The Board granted an effective date of April 28, 2015 for the awards of service connection for various conditions including Parkinson's disease with weakness, tremor, and bradykinesia of the left upper extremity; right upper extremity weakness with tremor and bradykinesia (major); depressive disorder with sleep impairment; right lower extremity weakness with bradykinesia, muscle rigidity, and balance impairment; left lower extremity balance impairment with muscle rigidity; speech changes, right CN-10; speech changes, left CN-10; stooped posture, right CN-11; stooped posture, left CN-11; erectile dysfunction; constipation; loss of sense of smell; and right automatic movements, CN-7; left automatic movements, CN-7.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for a rating in excess of 30 percent for right and left knee total arthroplasty to obtain additional medical evidence regarding the severity of the Veteran's knee disabilities without considering the ameliorative effects of pain medication.
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