The Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus is denied as there is no current diagnosis of tinnitus and the evidence does not show a disease or injury in service.,An effective date earlier than September 10, 2015 for an initial grant of service connection for mood disorder is denied as the earliest date of claim is September 10, 2015.,Service connection for headaches secondary to service-connected mood disorder is granted based on a VA examiner's opinion that the Veteran’s migraine headaches are proximately due to his service-connected mood disorder.,The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for back condition, bilateral hip condition, sleep apnea, hypertension, and gastrointestinal condition. The TDIU claim is also remanded.,An increased rating in excess of 10 percent for left knee strain and right knee degenerative joint disease is also remanded.,The Veteran's TDIU claim is remanded.
The deciding factor: There is no current diagnosis of tinnitus, and the evidence does not show a disease or injury in service.,No error has been shown in the assignment of September 10, 2015 as the effective date of service connection for the Veteran’s acquired psychiatric disorder.,The private examiner's opinion that the Veteran’s migraine headaches are proximately due to his service-connected mood disorder is not binding on the Board but supports the conclusion that the Veteran’s disability picture before August 7, 2017 more closely approximated the criteria for a 70 percent rating than the criteria for a 100 percent rating.,The remanded issues include back condition, bilateral hip condition, sleep apnea, hypertension, gastrointestinal condition, left knee strain, right knee degenerative joint disease, and TDIU claim. The Board cannot make a fully-informed decision on these issues without further examination or opinion regarding the cause of the Veteran's conditions.,The remanded issues include left knee strain and right knee degenerative joint disease. The examinations do not comply with the requirements in Correia v. McDonald, 28 Vet. App. 158 (2016).,The TDIU claim is also remanded.
- Claimed conditions
- tinnitus, mood disorder NOS with panic disorder without agoraphobia, headaches
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 26, 2018
- Citation
- 18138081
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 18138081.
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.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's headaches are at least as likely as not caused by his service-connected traumatic brain injury, and thus grants service connection for this condition.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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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