The Veteran's tinnitus is service-connected as secondary to his service-connected bilateral hearing loss. The claims for service connection for bilateral knee disorders, hypertension, and loss of vision in the right eye are denied due to lack of evidence linking these conditions with service. The Veteran's allergic rhinitis is currently rated noncompensably disabling.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found no evidence linking the Veteran's tinnitus to his service or any other etiology. For bilateral knee disorders, hypertension, and loss of vision in the right eye, there was no new evidence received since the last denial that would establish a link with service. The current diagnoses for allergic rhinitis do not meet the criteria for a compensable rating.
- Claimed conditions
- tinnitus, loss of vision in right eye, bilateral knee disorders, hypertension, allergic rhinitis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- August 10, 2017
- Citation
- 1732331
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 1732331.
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: 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.
- Whole decision: 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.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus, arthritis, and memory loss. The decision found no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as service connected. The issues of foot disability and cardiovascular disorder are remanded for additional development.
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