CASE STUDIES

Success Stories

These summaries show the type of documentation problems veterans bring to the site and the kind of medically grounded support that can help clarify a claim. The detailed narrative lives on each case study’s own page.

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Primary Service Connection

How an Independent Medical Opinion Builds an Aggravation Case When Conditions Block a Recommended Treatment

In claims like these, a surviving spouse pursues a cause-of-death claim for a Vietnam veteran whose aggressive cancer was denied a service connection. An Independent Medical Opinion connects the cancer to a service-connected metabolic condition and shows how other service-connected disabilities aggravated its course by making a recommended treatment physically impossible, applying the but-for standard from Spicer v. McDonough.

Secondary Service Connection

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Case Study

Increased Rating for PTSD From 50% to 70% Through DBQ Strategy

A Marine Corps veteran increased his PTSD VA disability rating from 50% to 70% by aligning DBQ documentation with 38 CFR § 4.130 criteria, including occupational impairment, suicidal ideation, and corroborating lay statements.

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Claim Readiness Review

Claim Readiness Review Identifies Five Missing Elements Before Filing

An Army veteran preparing to file 10 VA disability claims used a Claim Readiness Review to identify five conditions ready for immediate filing and five requiring further development. By using an Intent-to-File strategy and evidence gap analysis, the veteran preserved effective dates while improving claim strength.

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Primary Service Connection

VA Denied Pre-Existing Knee Condition: How We Rebuilt the Aggravation Argument

Army Veteran • VA Denied Pre-Existing Knee Condition • Aggravation Beyond Natural Progression • Asthma Service Connection

Claim Readiness ReviewSecondary Service Connection

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Secondary Service Connection

Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) Granted Secondary to Service-Connected PTSD With Obesity as an Intermediate Step

Marine Corps Veteran • Severe OSA • Service-Connected PTSD • Obesity

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Secondary Service Connection

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) as Secondary to Anxiety/Depression

Early-2000s Air Force veteran • Generalised Anxiety disorder with depressive features • Stress-triggered IBS

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Secondary Service Connection

Vertigo as Secondary to Service-Connected Tinnitus

OIF Army veteran • Chronic tinnitus • Episodic vertigo and imbalance

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SMC/Aid & Attendance

Aid & Attendance for Veteran With Severe Mobility & Cognitive Decline

Mid-1970s Army veteran • Progressive neurologic decline • Frequent falls

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Primary Service Connection

Primary Service Connection for GERD

Early-2000s Marine veteran • Repeated in-service stomach complaints • Chronic reflux after deployment

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Secondary Service Connection

Migraines as Secondary to Tinnitus

Early-2000s Air Force veteran • Long-term headaches • No in-service documentation

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What these case studies are for

They are proof summaries, not outcome guarantees.
They show how documentation issues can be framed more clearly for VA decision-makers.
The index page stays brief so the detailed narrative remains on the individual case-study URLs.

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