The Board denied service connection for obesity and denied earlier effective dates for the awards of service connection and ratings for posttraumatic stress disorder, unspecified depressive disorder, delusional disorder paranoid type, left shoulder bicipital tendonitis status post left shoulder slap bicep tendonitis (non-dominant), and left knee strain. However, it granted an earlier effective date for the award of service connection for left knee strain.
The deciding factor: The Board found that obesity cannot be service-connected as a primary disability, and that the evidence did not support an earlier effective date for the awards in question.
- Claimed conditions
- obesity, posttraumatic stress disorder; unspecified depressive disorder; delusional disorder paranoid type, left shoulder bicipital tendonitis status post left shoulder slap bicep tendonitis (non-dominant), left knee strain, right knee strain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 10, 2025
- Citation
- A25050783
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 service connection for left knee strain, right knee strain, right wrist strain, and TBI. The Veteran's PTSD rating was remanded for further development.
- Remanded (sent back)
The appeal is remanded to correct pre-decisional duty to assist errors, including the failure to obtain relevant treatment records and provide adequate VA examinations.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for a rating in excess of 10 percent for bilateral hip and knee disabilities, as well as a TDIU claim, to ensure adequate VA examinations are conducted.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for left hip iliopsoas tendonitis, right knee strain, and left knee strain as secondary to lumbosacral strain. Service connection was also granted for cannabis use disorder as secondary to mental health conditions of PTSD, major depressive disorder with alcohol use disorder, and TBI. However, the Board denied an initial disability rating in excess of 70 percent for PTSD and granted a separate disability rating of 40 percent for TBI.
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