The Veteran's tinnitus was found to be incurred in service. The bilateral hip and knee disabilities are not directly related to service, but may have been aggravated by the service-connected pes planus.
The deciding factor: Service connection for tinnitus is granted as it is at least as likely as not caused by noise exposure during service. Service connection for bilateral hips and knees is denied as there is no direct evidence of their onset in service or a link to service-connected conditions, but they may have been aggravated by the Veteran's service-connected pes planus.
- Claimed conditions
- {"conditionName":"tinnitus"}, {"conditionName":"bilateral hip disability"}, {"conditionName":"bilateral knee disability"}
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 26, 2018
- Citation
- 1805241
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 1805241.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for service connection for fibromyalgia, hypertension, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), diabetes mellitus, erectile dysfunction, and bilateral knee disability are denied. The Veteran's claims for initial ratings greater than 10 percent for his lumbosacral spine disability, peripheral neuropathy of the right lower extremity, and peripheral neuropathy of the left lower extremity are remanded.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal of kidney cancer service connection was dismissed due to withdrawal. Bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were found to be incurred as a result of service.
- Granted
The Veteran's tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss were found to be caused by in-service exposure to excessive noise. Service connection was granted for these conditions.
- Granted
The Veteran's tinnitus is found to be related to his active military service. The bilateral hearing loss disability does not meet the criteria for a current disability as defined by VA regulations.
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