The Board denied increased ratings for tension headaches with migraine variants and lumbosacral strain with retrolisthesis, compression fracture L1 and degenerative disc disease, but granted a 20 percent rating for left ankle tendonitis status post fracture. The Board also granted service connection for a left knee disorder as secondary to the service-connected conditions and for gastroesophageal reflux disease and cervical spine disorder.
The deciding factor: The decision was based on the severity of the symptoms and their impact on daily functioning, with no evidence of an exceptional or unusual disability picture that would warrant an extraschedular rating.
- Claimed conditions
- tension headaches with migraine variants, lumbosacral strain with retrolisthesis, compression fracture L1 and degenerative disc disease, left ankle tendonitis status post fracture with post open reduction internal fixation and arthritis, post-traumatic, left ankle scars status post fracture repair, painful left ankle scar, erectile dysfunction, hypertension, left ear hearing loss, obstructive sleep apnea, acquired psychiatric disorder, to include generalized anxiety disorder, left knee disorder as secondary to service-connected left ankle tendonitis and lumbosacral strain, gastroesophageal reflux disease, cervical spine disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 3, 2025
- Citation
- A25057467
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,432 · Granted: 29% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
This is a plain-language summary generated by AI from a public Board of Veterans’ Appeals decision. It can contain errors — always verify against the original. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation A25057467.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hypertension and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for diabetes mellitus type II with erectile dysfunction was denied as the evidence did not show that he had been diagnosed and manifested to at least a 10 percent disability rating on or prior to May 8, 2001.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, finding that there is no competent evidence to support a finding that his current condition began in or as a result of service.
- Denied
The Board of Veterans' Appeals (BVA) has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea as there is no current diagnosis of this condition during the appeal period.
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