The Board granted service connection for hemorrhoids, but remanded the claims for degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine, right hip osteoarthritis, and right knee strain due to inadequate medical opinions.
The deciding factor: The April 2019 VA examination provided a positive direct nexus opinion, while the October 2022 and July 2023 VA examinations were found to be inadequate as they did not consider lay statements or properly address the Veteran's claims.
- Claimed conditions
- hemorrhoids, degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine, right hip osteoarthritis, right knee strain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 100%
- Decision date
- April 21, 2025
- Citation
- A25036196
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 Board granted service connection for left knee strain, right knee strain, right wrist strain, and TBI. The Veteran's PTSD rating was remanded for further development.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for a rating in excess of 10 percent for bilateral hip and knee disabilities, as well as a TDIU claim, to ensure adequate VA examinations are conducted.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the matter for an appropriate VA examination to determine the current nature and severity of the Veteran's right hip disability, as the April 2021 VA examination is deemed inadequate.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for left hip iliopsoas tendonitis, right knee strain, and left knee strain as secondary to lumbosacral strain. Service connection was also granted for cannabis use disorder as secondary to mental health conditions of PTSD, major depressive disorder with alcohol use disorder, and TBI. However, the Board denied an initial disability rating in excess of 70 percent for PTSD and granted a separate disability rating of 40 percent for TBI.
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