The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as service connected.,The Veteran's acquired psychiatric condition (including PTSD) is granted as service connected.,The Veteran's left shoulder disability, right shoulder disability, left knee disability, and right knee cap disability are denied as not service connected.,The Veteran's bilateral pes planus, bilateral hearing loss, left groin disability, and right groin disability are denied as not service connected.,The Veteran's headache disability is denied as not service connected.
The deciding factor: Service connection granted for tinnitus due to noise exposure during service. The Board found the evidence in equipoise regarding a link between tinnitus and service.,Service connection granted for acquired psychiatric condition (including PTSD) due to witnessing victims of a crane accident during service. The VA examiner opined that the Veteran's PTSD was related to this event.,Service connection denied for left shoulder disability, right shoulder disability, left knee disability, and right knee cap disability as there is no current diagnosis or evidence linking these conditions to service.,Service connection denied for bilateral pes planus, bilateral hearing loss, left groin disability, and right groin disability due to lack of a current diagnosis or evidence linking these conditions to service.,Service connection denied for headache disability due to lack of a current diagnosis or evidence linking this condition to service.
- Claimed conditions
- tinnitus, acquired psychiatric condition (including PTSD), left shoulder disability, right shoulder disability, left knee disability, right knee cap disability, bilateral pes planus, bilateral hearing loss, left groin disability, right groin disability, headache disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 19, 2018
- Citation
- 18143374
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 18143374.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for asthma and remanded claims for insomnia and sleep apnea. Other conditions were denied.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew the appeals for service connection for bilateral pes planus, obstructive sleep apnea, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for multiple conditions, including bilateral hearing loss and various musculoskeletal issues, as well as an initial rating in excess of 0 percent for rhinitis. However, the Board granted a 70 percent rating for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for various disabilities to the AOJ for further development and consideration of evidence not previously considered.
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