The Board granted earlier effective dates for service connection and ratings related to Parkinson's disease, as well as special monthly compensation for the Veteran’s surviving spouse.
The deciding factor: The Veteran met eligibility criteria for a presumptive diagnosis of Parkinson's disease on August 31, 2010, one year prior to his claim submission in May 2015, and thus was entitled to an earlier effective date under VA regulations.
- Claimed conditions
- Parkinson's disease (residuals, muscle rigidity and stiffness, loss of use of the bilateral feet, dysphagia, impaired speech), loss of use of the bilateral lower extremities, loss of use of the bilateral upper extremities
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- 100%
- Decision date
- April 17, 2025
- Citation
- A25035716
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 868 · Granted: 42% (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 A25035716.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Partly granted
The Board denied increased ratings for various conditions but granted a 30 percent rating for left and right upper extremity weakness prior to November 13, 2024, and an earlier effective date of August 27, 2010, for total disability based on individual unemployability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding whether the Veteran's service-connected disabilities contributed to his death. The claim will be reconsidered with a new VA examination.
- Granted
The Board of Veterans' Appeals has granted service connection for PTSD and Mood Disorders, both presumed conditions under the PACT Act.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for diabetes mellitus type II with erectile dysfunction was denied as the evidence did not show that he had been diagnosed and manifested to at least a 10 percent disability rating on or prior to May 8, 2001.
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