The Veteran's service connection claims for bilateral eye dryness, irritation, and light sensitivity; cervical spine bulging discs, cervicalgia, hypertrophic facet disease, narrowing of neural foramina, spinal stenosis, and spondylosis; spinal stenosis and spondylosis of the lumbar spine; radiculopathy of the bilateral upper extremities; and radiculopathy of the bilateral lower extremities are all granted. However, his claim for service connection for a heart condition is denied.
The deciding factor: The STRs do not show a heart condition, and the VA examiner diagnosed hyperlipidemia and CAD, status post CABG, which was not related to service.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Eye Dryness, Irritation, and Light Sensitivity, Cervical Spine Bulging Discs, Cervicalgia, Hypertrophic Facet Disease, Narrowing of Neural Foramina, Spinal Stenosis, and Spondylosis, Spinal Stenosis and Spondylosis of the Lumbar Spine, Radiculopathy of the Bilateral Upper Extremities, Radiculopathy of the Bilateral Lower Extremities
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 23, 2026
- Citation
- A26006543
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 A26006543.
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, a right shoulder condition, tinnitus, hypertension, a right hip condition, bilateral knee conditions, and radiculopathy of the bilateral lower extremities as there was no evidence to support a causal relationship between these conditions and the Veteran's military service.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not meet the criteria for specially adapted housing or a special home adaptation grant due to his inability to use both lower extremities without assistive devices and lack of blindness in both eyes.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected conditions do not preclude her from securing and maintaining substantially gainful employment, and the criteria for a TDIU are therefore denied. The initial rating for POTS is also denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his right knee, lumbar spine degenerative disc disease, and bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy due to inadequate VA examination reports. The Veteran is also on appeal for a TDIU prior to June 19, 2017.
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