Service connection for tinnitus is granted.,The effective date for the grant of service connection for PTSD is set at July 23, 2012.,An effective date prior to July 23, 2012 for a 20 percent rating for lumbar spine disability is denied.
The deciding factor: The evidence shows that the Veteran’s tinnitus manifested within one year of separation or is secondary to a service-connected disability (PTSD).,The earliest effective date for the establishment of service connection for PTSD is July 23, 2012 – the date the Veteran first filed a claim.,There is no evidence showing worsening in the lumbar spine disability within one year prior to the date of the Veteran's claim.
- Claimed conditions
- tinnitus, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), lumbar spine disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- January 7, 2019
- Citation
- 19101578
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including prostate cancer and related disabilities, urinary incontinence, sleep apnea, hypertension, varicose veins, lumbar spine disability, hip arthritis, shoulder arthritis, ankle arthritis, knee strain, knee replacement, and hand arthritis. The only condition granted was a 10 percent rating for a fracture of the right proximal first metacarpal.
- Partly granted
The Veteran was granted a 70 percent initial disability rating for PTSD effective December 2, 2021, but the claim for an increased rating in excess of 70 percent was denied. The appeal also included claims for service connection and ratings for various conditions, some of which were granted while others were remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for tinnitus to correct a duty to assist error, as the Veteran's lay statements regarding onset and continuity of symptoms were not adequately considered in the previous decision.
- 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).
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