The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for various service-connected conditions, but granted an effective date of June 20, 2016, for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability and eligibility to Dependents' Educational Assistance.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not show that the Veteran's symptoms warranted higher ratings under applicable criteria.
- Claimed conditions
- Obstructive Sleep Apnea, Lumbar Strain with Degenerative Disc Disease, Lumbar Intervertebral Disc Syndrome Status Post Spinal, Lumbar Myofascial Strain with Lumbar Degenerative Joint Disease, Right Lower Extremity Sciatic Nerve, Left Lower Extremity Sciatic Nerve, Right Lower Extremity Femoral Nerve, Left Lower Extremity Femoral Nerve, Anterior and Posterior Scars from a Lumbar Spine Discectomy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 22, 2025
- Citation
- A25046302
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
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 various disabilities and denied higher ratings for several service-connected conditions.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected psychiatric disorders, lumbar and cervical spine disabilities, bilateral radiculopathy of the upper extremities, and bilateral radiculopathy and neuropathy of the lower extremities.
- Denied
The Board denied a rating in excess of 50 percent for PTSD, finding that the Veteran's symptoms more closely approximated those associated with a 50 percent rating.
- Partly granted
The appeal for entitlement to service connection for obstructive sleep apnea was granted, while other appeals were dismissed as untimely and remanded for further action on essential tremors.
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