The Board granted service connection for degenerative disc disease and right ankle pain as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected bilateral knee patellofemoral syndrome, but denied an earlier effective date for the evaluation of the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder.
The deciding factor: The probative evidence weighed in favor of the claims for service connection due to a nexus between the degenerative disc disease and right ankle pain and the service-connected bilateral knee disorders. However, there was not enough evidence to support an earlier effective date for the evaluation of the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative disc disease (claimed as back pain), Right ankle pain
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 50%
- Decision date
- December 12, 2025
- Citation
- A25107479
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