The Board denied earlier effective dates for service connection and increased ratings for various conditions, except for an earlier effective date of November 10, 2020, for service connection for GERD.
The deciding factor: The increase in the Veteran's GERD disability had occurred on November 10, 2020, which was within one year of his intent to file, allowing for an earlier effective date.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral sensorineural hearing loss, hypertension, right upper extremity carpal tunnel syndrome, left upper extremity carpal tunnel syndrome status post-surgical repair, right index finger tendinopathy, left index finger tendinopathy, right long finger tendinopathy, left long finger tendinopathy, right ring finger tendinopathy, left ring finger tendinopathy, right little finger tendinopathy, left little finger tendinopathy, right knee tendinopathy, left knee tendinopathy, right ankle lateral collateral ligament sprain, left ankle tendinopathy, right foot peroneal tendonitis with subluxation, left foot peroneal tendonitis with subluxation, lumbosacral strain with degenerative arthritis, right lower extremity femoral nerve radiculopathy, diabetes mellitus II, headaches, obstructive sleep apnea, left hip condition, right hip condition
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 15, 2025
- Citation
- A25044025
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 734 · Granted: 31% (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 A25044025.
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.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's headaches are at least as likely as not caused by his service-connected traumatic brain injury, and thus grants service connection for this condition.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hypertension and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, finding that there is no competent evidence to support a finding that his current condition began in or as a result of service.
- Denied
The Board of Veterans' Appeals (BVA) has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea as there is no current diagnosis of this condition during the appeal period.
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