The Board granted service connection for degenerative disc disease and lumbar sacral strain, left hip iliopsoas tendonitis, right hip iliopsoas tendonitis, right knee strain and patellofemoral pain syndrome, and migraine headaches as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected right ankle disability. However, DMII was denied.
The deciding factor: The evidence is in equipoise as to whether the Veteran's current back, bilateral hip, and right knee disabilities are caused by his service-connected right ankle disability, and the probative evidence supports a finding that the Veteran's headache disability is caused or aggravated by his service-connected tinnitus. However, there is no evidence linking DMII to any aspect of the Veteran's service.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative disc disease and lumbar sacral strain, Left hip iliopsoas tendonitis, Right hip iliopsoas tendonitis, Right knee strain and patellofemoral pain syndrome, Migraine headaches, to include migraine variants and idiopathic headaches
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 7, 2025
- Citation
- A25041567
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.
- Granted
The Board granted earlier effective dates of November 5, 2021, for the grants of service connection and eligibility for DEA benefits.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and migraine headaches, but remanded the claims for a low back disability and related radiculopathies.
- Denied
The Board denied the claims for service connection for a facial injury, head injury, and left thumb injury as there was no evidence of current disability or functional impairment. The claims for GERD, squamous mucosa, migraine headaches, and hypertension were remanded for further development.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the appeal for failure to timely file a Notice of Disagreement (NOD) with the July 2024 rating decision.
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