The Board denied several claims for increased ratings and granted service connection for left lower extremity radiculopathy, restored a 10 percent rating for right knee instability effective May 12, 2021, and granted an effective date of June 22, 2016, but no earlier, for the award of eligibility for Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA) benefits under 38 U.S.C. chapter 35.

The deciding factor: The decision was based on the evidence of record and applicable rating criteria, with some claims denied due to insufficient evidence of increased severity or disability impact.

Claimed conditions

tinnitus, traumatic brain injury (TBI), Parkinson's disease with balance impairment, speech changes associated with Parkinson's disease, cluster headaches, facial scars, scar of the right upper extremity, scar of the left upper extremity, scar of the right lower extremity, scar of the left lower extremity, right upper extremity tremors with muscle rigidity, left upper extremity tremors with muscle rigidity, right lower extremity tremors with muscle rigidity, left lower extremity tremors with muscle rigidity, degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine with lumbosacral strain, left lower extremity radiculopathy, left hip strain with limited extension, left hip strain with limited flexion, left hip strain with limited abduction, adduction, and rotation, right knee instability

How they argued it

Direct service connection

Exposure basis

None

Rating assigned

None in this decision

Decision date

October 22, 2025

Citation

A25091100

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