The appeal for service connection for progressive supranuclear palsy and anxiety disorder is dismissed as the Veteran's symptoms are subsumed by an already awarded service connection for progressive supranuclear palsy with dementia.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's anxiety symptoms are subsumed by his service-connected progressive supranuclear palsy with dementia, making a separate grant of service connection for anxiety disorder unnecessary and impermissible under the 'pyramid rule.'
- Claimed conditions
- progressive supranuclear palsy, anxiety disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 30, 2025
- Citation
- A25039577
What this means for you
A dismissal means the Board did not decide the issue on its merits — usually because it was withdrawn or had become moot. It says more about procedure than about whether a claim like this can win.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for depression, PTSD, and an anxiety disorder due to the lack of a current diagnosis.
- Partly granted
The Board dismissed the appeal for service connection for anxiety disorder and denied service connection for hearing loss. The claims for service connection for GERD, right ankle limitations, and sinusitis were remanded for further development.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board dismissed the appeal for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disability (TDIU) and remanded several issues related to increased ratings for various disabilities.
- Granted
The Board granted an earlier effective date for the 70 percent evaluation of anxiety disorder starting from January 16, 2022.
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This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.