The Board granted service connection for a neck scar, dismissed the claim of entitlement to service connection for drug and alcohol abuse, and denied service connection for depression, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), dizziness disorder, fatigue disorder, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, degenerative arthritis, left ankle arthritis, and left foot disorder.
The deciding factor: The neck scar was granted as it was caused by in-service removal of a tattoo acquired during service. The claim for drug and alcohol abuse was dismissed due to the Veteran already being granted service connection for unspecified anxiety disorder with opioid use disorder. Service connection was denied for depression, PTSD, dizziness disorder, fatigue disorder, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, degenerative arthritis, left ankle arthritis, and left foot disorder as there was no evidence of a current disability or nexus to service.
- Claimed conditions
- neck scar, drug and alcohol abuse, depression, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), dizziness disorder, fatigue disorder, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, degenerative arthritis, left ankle arthritis, left foot disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 15, 2025
- Citation
- A25034738
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 claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder to ensure a proper examination and etiology opinion are provided.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including prostate cancer and related disabilities, urinary incontinence, sleep apnea, hypertension, varicose veins, lumbar spine disability, hip arthritis, shoulder arthritis, ankle arthritis, knee strain, knee replacement, and hand arthritis. The only condition granted was a 10 percent rating for a fracture of the right proximal first metacarpal.
- Partly granted
The Veteran was granted a 70 percent initial disability rating for PTSD effective December 2, 2021, but the claim for an increased rating in excess of 70 percent was denied. The appeal also included claims for service connection and ratings for various conditions, some of which were granted while others were remanded.
- Granted
The Board granted an effective date of October 17, 2022, for the grant of service connection for PTSD.
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