The Board granted service connection for a migraine headache disorder and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected disabilities, and assigned a 10 percent rating for his lumbar area surgical scar. The remaining claims were remanded for further development.
The deciding factor: The evidence supporting a link between the Veteran's service-connected disabilities and his currently claimed migraine headaches and IBS was approximately balanced or nearly equal to the evidence against the claims, leading to the grant of service connection with the benefit of reasonable doubt. The lumbar area scar warranted a 10 percent rating due to its painful nature.
- Claimed conditions
- migraine headache disorder, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), painful lumbar spine scar, degenerative arthritis with intervertebral disc syndrome, thoracolumbar spine, left lower extremity radiculopathy, right lower extremity radiculopathy, cervical spine disability, left upper extremity neurological disorder, right upper extremity neurological disorder, erectile dysfunction (ED)
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- June 13, 2025
- Citation
- A25052372
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.
- 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.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the appeals for service connection for a bilateral knee disability, bilateral upper and lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, lumbar spine disability, cervical spine disability, and chronic pain syndrome due to untimely notices of disagreement.
- Partly granted
The Board denied earlier effective dates for the grant of service connection and granted initial 40 percent ratings for left upper extremity CTS, right lower extremity radiculopathy, and left lower extremity radiculopathy.
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