The Veteran's tinnitus is currently rated at 10 percent, and the Board has determined that a higher rating is not warranted on an extraschedular basis.,For the period from March 7, 2012, to November 30, 2017, his acquired psychiatric disability was evaluated as 50 percent disabling. The Board found that this level of impairment did not meet or exceed the criteria for a higher rating (such as 70% or 100%) and thus denied an increased evaluation.,The Veteran's arthritis conditions were remanded due to insufficient evidence on whether they are service-connected.,Service connection was granted for headaches secondary to tinnitus.,Other claims, including those related to sleep disability, hypertension, skin condition, diabetes mellitus, special monthly compensation, and TDIU, were also remanded.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's tinnitus does not present an exceptional case where the schedular evaluation is inadequate. The symptoms described are consistent with the criteria for a 10 percent rating.,For the period from March 7, 2012, to November 30, 2017, the Veteran’s acquired psychiatric disability did not meet or exceed the criteria for a higher rating (such as 70% or 100%).,The arthritis conditions were remanded due to insufficient evidence on whether they are service-connected.,Service connection was granted for headaches secondary to tinnitus because the Veteran's headache symptoms are proximately due to his service-connected tinnitus.,Other claims, including those related to sleep disability, hypertension, skin condition, diabetes mellitus, special monthly compensation, and TDIU, were remanded as insufficient evidence on whether they meet the criteria for service connection.
- Claimed conditions
- tinnitus, acquired psychiatric disability (likely referring to PTSD or another anxiety/depression-related condition), arthritis in left hand, right hand, left hip, right hip, left knee, and right knee, a sleep disability, hypertension, skin disability (referred to as a skin disability but not further specified), diabetes mellitus
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 17, 2019
- Citation
- 19129908
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 439 · Granted: 19% (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 19129908.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
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 hypertension and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
- 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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