The Veteran was granted service connection for tinnitus, but denied service connection for a right ankle condition. The Board found that the Veteran's current right ankle condition did not have its onset during active service and is not otherwise etiologically related to active service. For his tinnitus, the Board found reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran, finding that it began in service and was not caused by military noise exposure.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner opined that the Veteran's tinnitus was less likely than not (less than 50 percent probability) caused by or a result of military noise exposure. The examiner attributed the Veteran’s tinnitus to his pre-existing bilateral hearing loss.
- Claimed conditions
- right ankle, tinnitus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 27, 2019
- Citation
- 19122951
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,272 · Granted: 31% (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 19122951.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as service connected. The issues of foot disability and cardiovascular disorder are remanded for additional development.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, finding that it is at least as likely as not that the Veteran experienced tinnitus during his active duty service.
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