The Board granted service connection for a right heel strain, neck disability, lower back disability, left shoulder disability, and right foot disability based on their etiological relation to in-service injuries.
The deciding factor: The evidence was found to be in approximate balance, with private medical opinions favoring the claim over VA opinions that relied heavily on post-service onset of symptoms.
- Claimed conditions
- right heel strain, neck disability (cervical spine degenerative disc disease), lower back disability (degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine), left shoulder disability (osteoarthritis), right foot disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 1, 2025
- Citation
- A25056876
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for various disabilities to the AOJ for further development and consideration of evidence not previously considered.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for a right foot disability and left foot disability as the evidence did not support that the preexisting conditions worsened beyond their natural progression during active duty for training (ACDUTRA).
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for various musculoskeletal conditions of the left and right hands, shoulders, elbows, wrists, knees, ankles, and foot, but granted service connection for a right knee disability and fibromyalgia. The decision was based on medical evidence that did not support a link between these conditions and the Veteran's military service.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions and a TDIU, as the evidence did not support a finding that any of these disabilities were related to the Veteran's military service.
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