The Board granted service connection for depressive disorder with anxious distress, effective February 18, 2022, and granted a 20 percent rating for the lumbar spine disability from March 6, 2017 to June 4, 2018, and again from July 27, 2021 to May 5, 2022.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the Veteran's cervical spine disability had its onset in service and granted service connection. The grant of a higher rating for the lumbar spine disability was based on the evidence showing forward flexion greater than 30 degrees but not greater than 60 degrees from March 6, 2017 to June 4, 2018, and again from July 27, 2021 to May 5, 2022.
- Claimed conditions
- hyperlipidemia, heart condition, sleep disorder, undiagnosed illness, fallen arches of the right and left foot, depressive disorder with anxious distress with alcohol use disorder (PTSD), cervical spine disability, gout, diabetes mellitus, fibromyalgia, hypertension, lumbar spine disability, left testicular epididymitis, limitation of extension of the left knee, limitation of flexion of the left knee, left knee instability, limitation of adduction, abduction, and rotation of the right hip, limitation of flexion of the right hip, right ankle disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 28, 2025
- Citation
- A25028855
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 3,217 · Granted: 46% (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 A25028855.
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 Veteran's claim for service connection for migraines was reopened due to new evidence. Service connection is granted for painful scars, but the rating assigned remains at 10 percent. The claims for fibromyalgia and bilateral shoulder disability are denied.
- 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.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a heart condition, including ischemic heart disease. The evidence did not support a finding of a current disability related to service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including VA examinations.
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