The Board denied entitlement to an evaluation more than 20 percent for a cervical strain with degenerative arthritis and remanded the claims for service connection for bilateral plantar fasciitis, right heel spur, bilateral lower extremity neuropathy as secondary to an upper back disability and plantar fasciitis, and sleep disturbances.
The deciding factor: The evidence of record did not support a finding that the Veteran's cervical spine disability met or more nearly approximated the criteria for a higher rating under the applicable diagnostic codes. The claims for service connection were remanded due to insufficient medical opinions addressing direct service connection and secondary causation.
- Claimed conditions
- cervical strain with degenerative arthritis, bilateral plantar fasciitis, right heel spur, bilateral lower extremity neuropathy, sleep disturbances
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 2, 2025
- Citation
- A25057371
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Board granted a separate rating of 10 percent for bilateral plantar fasciitis effective February 1, 2023.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an initial rating of 70 percent for the Veteran's service-connected depressive disorder due to another medical condition with depressive features and generalized anxiety disorder, denied a higher rating for his migraine including migraine variants, and denied ratings for other conditions.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including bilateral plantar fasciitis, chronic pain syndrome, sciatic radicular pain of both legs, traumatic brain injury (TBI), shin splints of both legs, thoracic spondylosis, right shoulder strain, right wrist strain, acne, and allergic rhinitis.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for earlier effective dates and increased ratings, as well as higher levels of special monthly compensation.
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