The Board has granted service connection for a right ankle disability and finds that the Veteran's current right ankle disorder is related to his in-service injury. The claims of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, IBS, GERD, prostatitis, hypertension, degenerative arthritis of right acromioclavicular joints, and triceps muscle injury are addressed on remand.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's current right ankle disorder is related to his in-service injury due to credible assertions of continuity of symptomatology since service. The Board finds the VA examiner's opinion inadequate as it did not consider the significance of the November 2004 audiogram and the Veteran's account of in-service acoustic trauma.
- Claimed conditions
- right ankle peroneal tendonitis, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), prostatitis, hypertension, degenerative arthritis of right acromioclavicular joints
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 26, 2015
- Citation
- 1545398
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 1545398.
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection of bilateral hearing loss and a ruptured right ear drum was dismissed due to the death of the Veteran.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hypertension and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
- Denied
The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was noted upon entry into active duty service and did not increase in severity during service. Therefore, it denied his claim for service connection.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hearing loss, tinnitus, and an acquired psychiatric disorder due to incomplete medical records and need for further examination.
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