The Board granted earlier effective dates for service connection of cerebellar ataxia affecting certain cranial nerves and facial nerve, but denied earlier effective dates for the lower extremities. The Board also granted a higher rating for depressive disorder starting September 15, 2021.
The deciding factor: The decision was based on the evidence showing that the Veteran's cerebellar ataxia affecting cranial nerves and facial nerve manifested as severe incomplete paralysis, while the lower extremity ataxia did not meet the criteria for a higher rating.
- Claimed conditions
- cerebellar ataxia affecting right lower extremity, cerebellar ataxia affecting left lower extremity, cerebellar ataxia affecting right cranial nerve XII (facial), cerebellar ataxia affecting left cranial nerve XII (facial), cerebellar ataxia affecting right cranial nerve IX (glossopharyngeal), cerebellar ataxia affecting left cranial nerve IX (glossopharyngeal), cerebellar ataxia affecting right cranial nerve X (vagus), cerebellar ataxia affecting left cranial nerve X (vagus), unspecified depressive disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 8, 2025
- Citation
- A25032338
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,188 · Granted: 23% (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 A25032338.
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 anxiety and depressive disorders were rated at a 70 percent disability rating effective May 6, 2015.,Effective May 6, 2015, the Veteran was granted an earlier effective date for DEA benefits.
- Granted
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- Denied
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- Partly granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for unspecified depressive disorder is granted, while the claim for PTSD remains denied due to lack of credible supporting evidence and in-service stressor confirmation.
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