The Veteran's appeals for service connection on the issues of a pulmonary embolism, asthma, right leg vascular condition, left leg vascular condition, high blood pressure, generalized degenerative joint disease, and allergies, bronchitis, and sinusitis have been withdrawn.,Service connection has been granted for tinnitus. The Board found that the Veteran's lay statements regarding in-service noise exposure were credible and consistent with his service.
The deciding factor: The Veteran withdrew his appeals on these issues at his February 2019 hearing, effectively dismissing them without prejudice.,The VA examiner did not find a link between the Veteran’s tinnitus and in-service acoustic trauma. However, the Board found that the Veteran's lay statements regarding in-service noise exposure were credible.
- Claimed conditions
- tinnitus, major depressive disorder (MDD), anxiety disorder, not otherwise specified (NOS)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 25, 2019
- Citation
- 19148936
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,435 · 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 19148936.
What this means for you
A dismissal means the Board did not decide the issue on its merits — usually because it was withdrawn or had become moot. It says more about procedure than about whether a claim like this can win.
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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