The proposed reduction of the Veteran's lumbosacral strain evaluation was dismissed. Service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability was granted, but other conditions were denied.

The deciding factor: The Board dismissed the appeal for the proposed reduction because it was prematurely filed before a final decision was made; service connection for the psychiatric disability was granted based on subsequent evidence and a prior grant of service connection for unspecified depressive disorder.

Claimed conditions

lumbosacral strain with degenerative arthritis and spondylosis of the spine, unspecified anxiety disorder (claimed as anxiety), circadian rhythm; sleep/wake disorder, obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea, unspecified depressive disorder, arthritis of the cervical spine, deviated septum, migraine headaches, allergic rhinitis (claimed as allergies), bilateral plantar fasciitis (claimed as heel pain), left knee strain

How they argued it

Direct service connection

Exposure basis

None

Rating assigned

None in this decision

Decision date

January 21, 2025

Citation

A25005005

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