The Veteran's tinnitus has been granted service connection. The Board found that the evidence was at least in equipoise as to whether the Veteran’s current tinnitus is related to noise exposure during his active military service.,For the right knee and heart disabilities, the Board found insufficient evidence to determine their relationship to service and remanded for further examination.
The deciding factor: The decision was based on the Veteran's credible statements of in-service noise exposure leading to tinnitus. The examiner did not provide a clear opinion regarding the etiology of his right knee and heart disabilities, thus leaving room for speculation.,For the right ankle disability, the Board found insufficient evidence as the VA examiner’s opinion was based on incomplete information (lack of documentation of an in-service injury).
- Claimed conditions
- tinnitus, right knee disability, heart disability, right ankle disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 4, 2019
- Citation
- 19100829
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,500 · Granted: 29% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 19100829.
What this means for you
A partial grant means some issues were granted while others were denied or remanded — common in multi-issue claims. Look at which issues went which way, and how each was argued.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- 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.
- 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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