The Board denied service connection for low back disability and various other conditions, including hypertension, diabetic peripheral neuropathy, tinnitus, and bilateral hearing loss. The decision also denied an effective date prior to January 12, 2023, for the award of service connection for hypertension and an earlier effective date for the award of service connection for diabetic peripheral neuropathy (ulnar nerve), left upper extremity.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not establish a link between the Veteran's current conditions and his military service. The low back disability was not shown as chronic in service, did not manifest to a compensable degree within the applicable presumptive period, and there is no continuity of symptomatology or other evidence linking it to an in-service injury or disease.
- Claimed conditions
- low back disability, hypertension, diabetic peripheral neuropathy (ulnar nerve), left upper extremity, diabetic peripheral neuropathy, left lower extremity (femoral nerve), diabetic peripheral neuropathy, right lower extremity (femoral nerve), diabetic peripheral neuropathy, left lower extremity (sciatic nerve), diabetic peripheral neuropathy, right lower extremity (sciatic nerve), tinnitus, bilateral hearing loss
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 6, 2025
- Citation
- A25050075
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 granted an effective date of October 21, 2021, for the grant of service connection for hypertension.
- Dismissed
The appeal for a compensable rating for left ear hearing loss, service connection for right ear hearing loss, and bilateral vision condition was dismissed. Service connection for hypertension, congestive heart failure, and coronary artery disease was denied.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including prostate cancer and related disabilities, urinary incontinence, sleep apnea, hypertension, varicose veins, lumbar spine disability, hip arthritis, shoulder arthritis, ankle arthritis, knee strain, knee replacement, and hand arthritis. The only condition granted was a 10 percent rating for a fracture of the right proximal first metacarpal.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for tinnitus to correct a duty to assist error, as the Veteran's lay statements regarding onset and continuity of symptoms were not adequately considered in the previous decision.
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