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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection of bilateral hearing loss and a ruptured right ear drum was dismissed due to the death of the Veteran.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's right shoulder disability and migraines/chronic headaches are remanded for additional development due to insufficient opinions on the etiology of her conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development, including a new VA examination to assess his bilateral knee and hip disabilities.
- Denied
The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was noted upon entry into active duty service and did not increase in severity during service. Therefore, it denied his claim for service connection.
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