The Board granted service connection for tinnitus, asthma with sleep apnea, and a left knee disability. It also granted ratings of 10 percent for certain conditions but denied an increased rating for bilateral acquired pes cavus (claw foot) and denied an evaluation in excess of 70 percent for generalized anxiety disorder with panic attacks.
The deciding factor: The Board found the evidence to be approximately balanced, triggering the benefit-of-the-doubt doctrine, which resulted in a grant of service connection for tinnitus. For asthma with sleep apnea and left knee disability, the evidence supported an in-service onset or relationship to service activities.
- Claimed conditions
- tinnitus, asthma with sleep apnea, left knee disability, lump in breast (benign), right groin strain, bilateral acquired pes cavus (claw foot), bilateral metatarsalgia
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- April 24, 2025
- Citation
- A25037861
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 696 · Granted: 63% (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 A25037861.
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 Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development, including a new VA examination to assess his bilateral knee and hip disabilities.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hearing loss, tinnitus, and an acquired psychiatric disorder due to incomplete medical records and need for further examination.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus, arthritis, and memory loss. The decision found no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.
- Granted
The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as service connected. The issues of foot disability and cardiovascular disorder are remanded for additional development.
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