The Veteran's claim for service connection for hepatitis C has been reopened, and the claim is granted. The claims for service connection for tinnitus, migraine headaches, adjustment disorder with depressed mood, degenerative arthritis of the right knee, degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, left lower extremity radiculopathy, and right lower extremity radiculopathy are all denied.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found no evidence linking the Veteran's current tinnitus to his active service due to a lack of documentation of tinnitus or complaints regarding hearing or tinnitus subsequent to the motor vehicle accident in 1980. The Veteran's statements about continuous tinnitus since service are inconsistent with the contemporaneous medical records.
- Claimed conditions
- hepatitis C, tinnitus, migraine headaches, adjustment disorder with depressed mood, degenerative arthritis of the right knee, degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, left lower extremity radiculopathy, right lower extremity radiculopathy
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 28, 2018
- Citation
- 18161118
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 18161118.
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.
- 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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral hearing loss, migraine headaches, and PTSD due to additional development of records and examination.
- 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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