The Board granted service connection for a back disability secondary to the Veteran's service-connected right knee disability and assigned an initial rating of 10 percent for hypertension.
The deciding factor: The weight of the competent evidence was at least in approximate balance that the Veteran's lumbosacral strain is as likely as not related to his service-connected right knee disability, thus granting secondary service connection. The Board also granted a 10 percent initial rating for hypertension based on the evidence showing a history of diastolic pressure predominantly 100 or more requiring medication use for control.
- Claimed conditions
- back disability, sleep apnea, erectile dysfunction (ED), hypertension, major depressive disorder with anxious distress, right knee limitation of extension, left hip trochanteric pain syndrome (TPS) with limitation of extension, right hip TPS with limitation of extension, left hip TPS with limitation of flexion, right hip TPS with limitation of flexion, tinnitus, bilateral foot disability, to include pes planus and plantar fasciitis, right wrist tendinopathy, residuals of perianal abscess
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- March 27, 2025
- Citation
- A25028612
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,549 · Granted: 29% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
This is a plain-language summary generated by AI from a public Board of Veterans’ Appeals decision. It can contain errors — always verify against the original. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation A25028612.
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 has remanded the claims for service connection for hypertension and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hearing loss, tinnitus, and an acquired psychiatric disorder due to incomplete medical records and need for further examination.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus, arthritis, and memory loss. The decision found no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.
- Granted
The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as service connected. The issues of foot disability and cardiovascular disorder are remanded for additional development.
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