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
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 tinnitus to correct a duty to assist error, as the Veteran's lay statements regarding onset and continuity of symptoms were not adequately considered in the previous decision.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew the appeals for service connection for bilateral pes planus, obstructive sleep apnea, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for tinnitus, cubital tunnel syndrome, right plantar fasciitis, and a right knee disability due to the lack of evidence supporting a nexus between these conditions and the Veteran's military service.
- Granted
The Board granted an effective date of April 25, 2022, for the award of service connection for tinnitus and a 100 percent initial rating for PTSD with alcohol use disorder.
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