The Board granted a 50 percent rating for tension headaches and a 50 percent rating for left knee strain, limitation of extension, while denying ratings in excess of 30 percent for TMJ and a compensable rating for alopecia areata. The decision also granted 20 percent ratings for left and right knee strains with limitations on flexion and extension.
The deciding factor: The weight of the evidence supported a higher rating for tension headaches due to very frequent completely prostrating attacks, while the TMJ condition did not meet the criteria for a higher rating. The Board found that the Veteran's knees met the criteria for 50 percent ratings based on functional impairment equivalent to extension limited to 45 degrees and flexion limited to 30 degrees.
- Claimed conditions
- temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ), tension headaches, alopecia areata, left knee strain, limitation of extension, left knee strain, limitation of flexion, right knee strain, limitation of extension, right knee strain, limitation of flexion, rhinitis, chronic sinusitis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 20, 2025
- Citation
- A25101285
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,549 · 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 A25101285.
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 determined that additional development is needed for the claims on appeal, including obtaining any outstanding treatment records and scheduling VA examinations to assess the current severity of service-connected disabilities. The Veteran's representative also requested reevaluation of his service-connected disabilities.
- Denied
The Veteran's rhinitis and gastric ulcer with hiatal hernia were evaluated, but the Board found that neither condition warranted a higher rating.,For rhinitis, the evidence did not show greater than 50 percent obstruction of both nasal passages or complete obstruction on one side. For gastric ulcer with hiatal hernia, symptoms were described as infrequent and mild.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for service connection for asthma and a 10 percent rating based on multiple noncompensable service-connected disabilities were dismissed. The claim of entitlement to a compensable rating for eczema was denied, while the claim of entitlement to allergic rhinitis was not addressed as it pertained to different issues.
- Denied
The Board has denied service connection for chronic rhinitis, chronic sinusitis, and chronic fatigue syndrome as there is no evidence of a current disability in the record.
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