The Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus is granted, and he is awarded a rating of 40 percent for his degenerative joint and disc disease of the lumbar spine. The appeal concerning entitlement to an effective date prior to April 10, 2003 for the grant of service connection for the lumbar spine disability is dismissed.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's tinnitus was found to be secondary to his service-connected back disability and thus granted as a separate condition. The rating for his lumbar spine disability remains at 40 percent, effective from November 2, 2004.
- Claimed conditions
- tinnitus, degenerative joint and disc disease of the lumbar spine, osteoarthritis of the right ankle
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 40%
- Decision date
- June 25, 2019
- Citation
- 19149084
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 19149084.
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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