The Board has determined that the Veteran's current diagnoses of acquired psychiatric disorder, shoulder disability, neck disability, low back disability, and tinnitus do not meet the criteria for service connection based on direct evidence. The Veteran did not have any relevant symptoms or diagnoses during service, and there is no competent medical opinion linking his current conditions to his military service.
The deciding factor: The STRs are silent regarding any complaints of or treatment for psychiatric disorders, shoulder disabilities, neck disabilities, low back disabilities, or tinnitus. Post-service VA examination reports indicate normal hearing status with inconsistent test results, which the examiner found suspect and unable to resolve without resorting to mere speculation.
- Claimed conditions
- Acquired psychiatric disorder, Shoulder disability, Neck disability, Low back disability, Tinnitus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 15, 2014
- Citation
- 1436601
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 1436601.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are not related to his military service.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a low back disability and an increased rating for his acquired psychiatric disorder. The Board found that there was no evidence linking the current disabilities to military service.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected low back disability alone does not prevent him from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for a higher rating for PTSD and dismissed his appeals regarding increased ratings for tinnitus and a right hand disability due to lack of timely filing of Notice of Disagreement.
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