The veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus, a left knee disability, PTSD, a low back disability, a cardiovascular disability, a kidney disability, and erectile dysfunction were denied as the evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were related to his military service.
The deciding factor: The Board found no competent medical evidence linking the veteran's current conditions to his in-service noise exposure or any other incident of service. The first documentation of tinnitus was many years after discharge, and there was no evidence supporting a direct link between the veteran's claimed disabilities and his military service.
- Claimed conditions
- Tinnitus, Left knee disability, Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), Low back disability, Cardiovascular disability, Kidney disability, Cervical spine disability, Erectile dysfunction
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 6, 2008
- Citation
- 0814880
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for chronic headaches, CFS, dermatosis, bilateral RLS, a lumbar spine disability, and sleep apnea but denied a compensable evaluation for allergic rhinitis.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's conditions are related to in-service noise exposure.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an effective date of May 17, 2019, for a 70 percent disability rating for PTSD but denied earlier effective dates for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus.
- Partly granted
The Board granted readjudication of previously denied claims for service connection for PTSD and COPD, while remanding other issues including entitlement to service connection for an eye disorder, hypertension, tinnitus, a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss, TDIU, and an initial rating for PTSD.
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