The Board finds that the Veteran does not have a low back disability manifested by pain (other than that contemplated by already service-connected muscle and joint stiffness based on widespread musculoskeletal pain) that is etiologically related to his period of active duty service, including as due to an undiagnosed illness.,The preponderance of the evidence does not support a finding that the Veteran's tinnitus is due to acoustic trauma in service or an undiagnosed illness.
The deciding factor: There is no medical evidence showing a low back disability manifested by pain during active duty service, and the earliest documented complaints are from April 2002. The Board finds that the Veteran's subjective allegations of back pain do not correlate with objective findings.,The VA examinations did not find any diagnosed condition for tinnitus, and there is no evidence to support a finding that it was due to an undiagnosed illness.
- Claimed conditions
- Low Back Disability Manifested by Pain, Tinnitus
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- November 14, 2018
- Citation
- 18149889
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 18149889.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are not related to his military service.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for a higher rating for PTSD and dismissed his appeals regarding increased ratings for tinnitus and a right hand disability due to lack of timely filing of Notice of Disagreement.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including GAD, MDD, bruxism, migraines/headaches, tinnitus, hip pain, iliotibial band syndrome, and leg stress fractures. The evidence does not support current diagnoses of these conditions during the appeal period.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including bilateral pes planus with hammer toes, hallux valgus and degenerative arthritis, sleep apnea, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and bilateral kidney cysts, rendered him unable to secure or follow gainful employment. The Board granted the TDIU based on these conditions.
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