The Veteran's tinnitus, lumbar strain, and left lower extremity radiculopathy have been granted service connection. An initial 40 percent evaluation has been granted for the lumbar strain condition, effective April 23, 2012. A separate 10 percent evaluation has also been granted for the left lower extremity radiculopathy beginning September 7, 2017.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's tinnitus was found to be related to service exposure and his current symptoms. The lumbar strain condition met the criteria for a 40 percent rating based on its orthopedic manifestations. The left lower extremity radiculopathy warranted an additional separate evaluation due to its neurological component.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral tinnitus, lumbar strain, obstructive sleep apnea, left lower extremity radiculopathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 40%
- Decision date
- April 12, 2019
- Citation
- 19128681
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,454 · Granted: 23% (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 19128681.
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 the Veteran's claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, finding that there is no competent evidence to support a finding that his current condition began in or as a result of service.
- Denied
The Board of Veterans' Appeals (BVA) has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea as there is no current diagnosis of this condition during the appeal period.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper extremities, and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities, finding that there was no evidence linking these conditions to his active service or any related exposure.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for a lumbar spine disability, left lower extremity radiculopathy, and right lower extremity radiculopathy as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected lumbar spine disability.
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