The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as service connected, with the Board finding that reasonable doubt must be resolved in favor of the Veteran.,For COPD, a rating increase to 30 percent has been granted, but only subject to the laws and regulations controlling the award of monetary benefits.
The deciding factor: The evidence is at least evenly balanced that the Veteran’s tinnitus is related to in-service noise exposure. The Board found that reasonable doubt must be resolved in favor of the Veteran.,For COPD, the Veteran's symptoms more nearly approximated a forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV-1) of at least 56- to 70 percent predicted, or ratio of forced expiratory volume in one second to forced vital capacity (FEV-1/FVC) of at least 56 to 70 percent.
- Claimed conditions
- tinnitus, pulmonary tuberculosis in remission with residual chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 30%
- Decision date
- March 14, 2019
- Citation
- 19118336
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 19118336.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for asthma and remanded claims for insomnia and sleep apnea. Other conditions were denied.
- 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).
- 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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for tinnitus, cubital tunnel syndrome, right plantar fasciitis, and a right knee disability due to the lack of evidence supporting a nexus between these conditions and the Veteran's military service.
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