The Veteran's left knee strain and psychiatric disorders (generalized anxiety disorder and depression) are granted service connection.,Service connection for a thoracolumbar disorder is granted as secondary to the service-connected left knee strain. The Veteran's CAD and DM are remanded due to insufficient evidence regarding herbicide exposure in service.,The Veteran's CAD is granted based on conceded in-service toxic exposure risk activities (TERA) and hypertension, while his DM is granted based on TERA and service-connected left knee strain.
The deciding factor: Service connection for the conditions was established due to direct evidence of their onset during service.,The Veteran's thoracolumbar disorder is secondary to a service-connected condition (left knee strain).,VA regulations do not establish a presumption of herbicide exposure in Subic Bay, Philippines. The Veteran must provide additional evidence to support his claim for CAD and DM.
- Claimed conditions
- left knee strain, generalized anxiety disorder, depression, thoracolumbar disorder, coronary artery disease (CAD), Type II diabetes mellitus (DM)
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 20, 2026
- Citation
- A26025202
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 A26025202.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining in-service psychiatric treatment records and scheduling a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of any acquired psychiatric disorder.
- Denied
The Veteran's depression was rated at 50 percent prior to July 1, 2016. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating due to occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity. For TDIU, the Veteran had multiple service-connected disabilities but his education and work experience were sufficient for sedentary or light labor employment.
- Granted
The Veteran's depression was rated at 50 percent prior to September 27, 2017. From September 27, 2017, the rating for depression increased to 70 percent.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals were dismissed due to the death of the appellant. The issues related to service connection for various conditions and disability ratings.
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