The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied. The Board found that the evidence was at least in equipoise as to whether he had tinnitus, and granted service connection for this condition.,Service connection for PTSD was granted effective August 13, 2012, which is also the earliest available effective date for SMC based on housebound status.
The deciding factor: The evidence was at least in equipoise as to whether the Veteran had tinnitus. The Board found that his claim for service connection for PTSD was granted effective August 13, 2012.
- Claimed conditions
- Hepatitis C, Acquired psychiatric disability (claimed as secondary to other service-connected disabilities), Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), Hearing loss, Tinnitus, Peripheral neuropathy of the right upper extremity, right lower extremity, or left lower extremity (claimed as due to herbicide exposure), Heart disability (claimed as due to herbicide exposure), Skin disability (claimed as due to herbicide exposure)
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- June 8, 2017
- Citation
- 1720557
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 1720557.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: 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.
- Whole decision: 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.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including GAD, MDD, bruxism, migraines/headaches, tinnitus, hip pain, iliotibial band syndrome, and leg stress fractures. The evidence does not support current diagnoses of these conditions during the appeal period.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has granted service connection for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), finding that both conditions are secondary to the Veteran's service-connected lower back condition and sinusitis, respectively.
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