The Board granted service connection for lower back disability, neck disability (cervicalgia), and persistent depressive disorder with cannabis use disorder as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected right knee disability. The claim for obstructive sleep apnea was denied.
The deciding factor: The private medical opinions provided by Dr. M.B. established a causal relationship between the Veteran's lower back, neck, and persistent depressive disorder with cannabis use disorder disabilities and his service-connected right knee disability. For OSA, there is no persuasive evidence linking it to service or the service-connected disability.
- Claimed conditions
- lower back disability, neck disability (cervicalgia), persistent depressive disorder with cannabis use disorder, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), left knee degenerative arthritis
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 5, 2025
- Citation
- A25049862
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.
- Partly granted
The Veteran was granted a 70 percent initial disability rating for PTSD effective December 2, 2021, but the claim for an increased rating in excess of 70 percent was denied. The appeal also included claims for service connection and ratings for various conditions, some of which were granted while others were remanded.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) based on the Veteran's exposure to in-service chemical agents.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) as secondary to fibromyalgia due to a need for additional medical evidence.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 20 percent disability rating for left and right lower extremity radiculopathy from April 3, 2023 onward, but denied higher ratings prior to that date. Service connection was also granted for alcohol use disorder as secondary to PTSD with traumatic brain injury.
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