The Board granted service connection for lumbar spondylosis with thoracic spine pain and readjudicated the claims for cervical spine and back disabilities, but denied service connection for cervical spine disability, left thigh disability, and right shoulder disability.
The deciding factor: The private medical opinion provided new evidence that related the Veteran's current back disability to his in-service injury, while there was insufficient evidence to support a finding of a current disability or nexus for the other claimed conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- back disability, cervical spine disability, lumbar spondylosis with thoracic spine pain, left thigh disability, right shoulder disability
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 24, 2025
- Citation
- A25026950
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.
- 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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 20 percent disability rating for left and right lower extremity radiculopathy from April 3, 2023 onward, but denied higher ratings prior to that date. Service connection was also granted for alcohol use disorder as secondary to PTSD with traumatic brain injury.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the appeals for service connection for a bilateral knee disability, bilateral upper and lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, lumbar spine disability, cervical spine disability, and chronic pain syndrome due to untimely notices of disagreement.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for tinnitus and a right hip disability, and granted a 30 percent rating for ureterolithiasis. The claim for an increased rating for PTSD was denied, while other claims were remanded.
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