The Veteran's tinnitus claim is granted, and he is now entitled to a higher evaluation for his degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine. The right knee disability remains at its current level, but the scar status post lower back surgery receives an increased rating. His bladder disability and peripheral neuropathy are also evaluated based on their respective conditions.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's tinnitus claim is granted as there is a reasonable association with his in-service noise exposure. The degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine now warrants a 20% evaluation, reflecting its current severity. The scar status post lower back surgery receives an increased rating due to persistent pain. The bladder disability and peripheral neuropathy are evaluated based on their respective conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- tinnitus, degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine, right knee strain, bladder disability, peripheral neuropathy of the left lower extremity, peripheral neuropathy of the right lower extremity, erectile dysfunction
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- June 13, 2019
- Citation
- 19146060
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,062 · Granted: 34% (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 19146060.
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 hypertension and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for diabetes mellitus type II with erectile dysfunction was denied as the evidence did not show that he had been diagnosed and manifested to at least a 10 percent disability rating on or prior to May 8, 2001.
- 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.
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