The Board granted service connection for headaches and lumbar spine disability, while denying service connection for traumatic brain injury (TBI), sciatica radicular pain hypoesthesia, paresthesia of the left lower extremity (LLE) and right lower extremity (RLE), cervical spine disability, radicular pain hypoesthesia, paresthesia of the left upper extremity (LUE) and right upper extremity (RUE), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), third digit of left hand, pain, third digit of right hand, pain, degenerative joint disease with impingement syndrome, right shoulder status post arthroscopy, left shoulder strain, gastroesophageal reflux disorder (GERD), bilateral hearing loss, hemorrhoids, and onychomycosis.

The deciding factor: The evidence is at least evenly balanced as to whether the Veteran's headaches had their onset in service. Resolving reasonable doubt in the Veteran's favor, his lumbar spine disability is at least as likely as not related to his in-service injury as a paratrooper. The evidence persuasively weighs against finding that the Veteran has had TBI or residuals of TBI, sciatica radicular pain hypoesthesia, paresthesia of the LLE and RLE, cervical spine disability, radicular pain hypoesthesia, paresthesia of the LUE and RUE, PTSD, third digit of left hand, pain, third digit of right hand, pain, degenerative joint disease with impingement syndrome, right shoulder status post arthroscopy, left shoulder strain, gastroesophageal reflux disorder (GERD), bilateral hearing loss, hemorrhoids, or onychomycosis at any time during the pendency of the claim.

Claimed conditions

traumatic brain injury (TBI), headaches, lumbar spine disability, sciatica radicular pain hypoesthesia, paresthesia of the left lower extremity (LLE), sciatica radicular pain hypoesthesia, paresthesia of the right lower extremity (RLE), cervical spine disability, radicular pain hypoesthesia, paresthesia of the left upper extremity (LUE), radicular pain hypoesthesia, paresthesia of the right upper extremity (RUE), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), third digit of left hand, pain, third digit of right hand, pain, degenerative joint disease with impingement syndrome, right shoulder status post arthroscopy, (right shoulder disability), left shoulder strain, (left shoulder disability), gastroesophageal reflux disorder (GERD), bilateral hearing loss, hemorrhoids, onychomycosis

How they argued it

Direct service connection

Exposure basis

None

Rating assigned

None in this decision

Decision date

November 25, 2025

Citation

A25102351

Want to see how appeals like this one tend to go? Appeals like mine