The Board denied service connection for PTSD, mood disorder, and anxiety but granted service connection for the Veteran's right and left ankle disabilities and pes planus. The Board also granted initial 20 percent disability ratings for the Veteran's sciatica nerve conditions in the right and left lower extremities.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not support a finding of service connection for PTSD, mood disorder, or anxiety as there was no credible supporting evidence that the claimed in-service stressors occurred. However, the Veteran's right and left ankle disabilities were related to his active duty service based on medical opinions from a private examiner.
- Claimed conditions
- PTSD, mood disorder, anxiety disorder, razor bumps, right ankle disability, left ankle disability, pes planus, tension headaches, neck disability, back disability, sciatica nerve condition (right lower extremity), sciatica nerve condition (left lower extremity), erectile dysfunction, obstructive sleep apnea, hypertension
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 17, 2025
- Citation
- A25024395
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 obstructive sleep apnea, effective from the date of the February 2025 rating decision.
- Granted
The Board granted an effective date of October 21, 2021, for the grant of service connection for hypertension.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the issue of entitlement to service connection for a back disability due to a duty to assist error, specifically regarding VA's failure to provide the Veteran with a VA examination prior to the rating decision.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder to ensure a proper examination and etiology opinion are provided.
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