The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial compensable rating for pseudofolliculitis barbae and remanded claims for service connection for bilateral tinnitus, a low back disability, generalized anxiety disorder, and left lower extremity radiculopathy.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not support that the Veteran's pseudofolliculitis barbae met or more nearly approximated the criteria for a compensable rating. The Board found that remand was necessary to correct duty-to-assist errors in the claims for service connection for bilateral tinnitus, low back disability, generalized anxiety disorder, and left lower extremity radiculopathy.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral tinnitus, Generalized anxiety disorder (also claimed as persistent depressive disorder and nightmares), Left lower extremity radiculopathy, Low back disability (degenerative disc disease), Pseudofolliculitis barbae
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 14, 2025
- Citation
- A25043249
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,156 · Granted: 29% (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 A25043249.
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Board has granted effective dates of July 10, 2024 for service connection for PTSD, lumbar strain, and left lower extremity radiculopathy.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected acquired psychiatric disability, ischemic cardiomyopathy, and other disabilities have rendered him unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation since December 29, 2020. Effective from that date, the Veteran is granted TDIU and SMC housebound.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew the claims for psychiatric disability and sleep apnea.,Service connection was granted for right lower extremity radiculopathy and left lower extremity radiculopathy secondary to a service-connected back disability, but denied for right wrist disability.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for degenerative disc disease prior to August 1, 2025 was denied as the evidence did not show unfavorable ankylosis of the thoracolumbar spine.,The Veteran's claims for higher ratings for left and right lower extremity radiculopathy prior to March 10, 2025 were denied as there is no neurological impairment associated with these conditions.
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