The Veteran's tinnitus is granted service connection. The ratings for left and right ankle disabilities are denied, but the case is remanded due to insufficient evidence. The initial rating for CAD and diabetes mellitus, type II, is also denied.
The deciding factor: Service connection was established based on the Veteran's reported onset of tinnitus during service and exposure to noise. For the ankle disabilities, the VA examiner found no ankylosis but noted pain limiting motion. For CAD and diabetes, there were no findings or evidence supporting higher ratings.
- Claimed conditions
- tinnitus, left ankle instability with traumatic arthritis, right ankle instability with traumatic arthritis, coronary artery disease (CAD), diabetes mellitus, type II
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- April 22, 2019
- Citation
- 19131048
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,451 · Granted: 22% (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 19131048.
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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