The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as service-connected.,The Veteran's swelling of the hands due to a cold injury and arthritis of the bilateral hands, knees, and shoulders are denied as not related to active service.,The Veteran's asbestos exposure-related chronic disability is denied as there is no evidence of such exposure during service.,The Veteran's chronic fatigue syndrome is denied as there is no current diagnosis or in-service incident linked to this condition.
The deciding factor: Service connection for tinnitus was granted based on the Veteran's reported history and his competent testimony regarding symptoms experienced during active service, despite a VA examiner's opinion against a nexus.,The Veteran did not provide credible evidence of cold injury or asbestos exposure during service. The arthritis claim is denied as there is no in-service incident linked to these conditions.,Asbestos exposure was not conceded due to lack of evidence showing such exposure occurred during service, and the Veteran has not provided any further evidence supporting this claim.,Chronic fatigue syndrome was denied as there is no current diagnosis or in-service incident linked to this condition.
- Claimed conditions
- tinnitus, swelling of the hands due to cold injury, arthritis of the bilateral hands, knees, and shoulders due to cold injury, asbestos exposure-related chronic disability, chronic fatigue syndrome
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 6, 2019
- Citation
- 19135003
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 19135003.
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).
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for multiple conditions, including bilateral hearing loss and various musculoskeletal issues, as well as an initial rating in excess of 0 percent for rhinitis. However, the Board granted a 70 percent rating for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
- 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.
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