The Board granted a 20 percent disability rating for left and right lower extremity radiculopathy from April 3, 2023 onward, but denied higher ratings prior to that date. Service connection was also granted for alcohol use disorder as secondary to PTSD with traumatic brain injury.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's service-connected conditions were evaluated based on the severity of symptoms and medical evidence provided, leading to a grant in part and denial in part.
- Claimed conditions
- left lower extremity (LLE) radiculopathy, right lower extremity (RLE) radiculopathy, boxers fracture of the 5th metacarpal of the right hand, left ear hearing loss, alcohol use disorder as secondary to PTSD with traumatic brain injury (TBI), lumbar degenerative disc disease with intervertebral disc syndrome (IVDS), right knee meniscal tear with degenerative joint disease, left knee patellofemoral pain syndrome with tendinopathy, right hip strain with subchondral cyst, left ankle fracture residuals with degenerative arthritis, maxillary sinuses, right phrenic nerve paralysis, cervical spine disability, right upper extremity radiculopathy, right ear hearing loss disability, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities (TDIU)
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- December 31, 2025
- Citation
- A25111363
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 833 · Granted: 33% (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 A25111363.
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.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for an initial compensable disability rating for onychomycosis was denied as the condition did not require treatment and covered less than 5% of his body. The Board also remanded issues regarding service connection for left ear hearing loss and entitlement to a compensable disability rating for right ear hearing loss.
- Denied
The Board denied the claims of service connection for cervical spine and skin rash disabilities, finding that there is no evidence linking these conditions to active military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the claims for miscarriage, cervical spine disability, lumbar spine disability, and right elbow disability due to insufficient examination opinions and incomplete service history verification.
- Granted
The Veteran's OSA is granted as service connected. The Veteran's infectious disease claim and stomach disability claim are remanded for further examination.
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