The Board has denied service connection for bilateral tinnitus and atrial fibrillation and coronary artery disease. The Veteran's tinnitus is not related to his military service, nor may it be presumed to be. His heart conditions are not related to his military service or within a year of discharge.,Service connection was also denied for degenerative arthritis of the right thumb and degenerative joint disease of the lumbar and cervical spines.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's tinnitus is not related to his military service, nor may it be presumed to be. The evidence does not support that the condition was manifest to a compensable degree within one year of separating from active duty, nor does it support that the Veteran had a continuity of symptomatology since service.,His heart conditions are not related to his military service or within a year of discharge.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral tinnitus, atriial fibrillation and coronary artery disease, degenerative arthritis of the right thumb, degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine, degenerative joint disease of the cervical spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 13, 2018
- Citation
- 18134381
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 18134381.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete development of records and will provide a supplemental statement of the case if necessary.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's lumbar spine arthritis is aggravated by his service-connected bilateral knee disabilities, and thus grants service connection for this condition.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for left toe amputation, triple bypass surgery, blockage in legs, and bilateral tinnitus due to procedural errors and the need for additional medical opinions regarding potential exposure to toxins during service.
- Granted
The Veteran's low back disability was rated at 40% prior to September 28, 2018. From that date, the rating was increased to 50%. The earlier effective date for TDIU is denied.
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