The Veteran's tinnitus, lumbar spine scoliosis and arthritis, cervical spine arthritis, radiculopathy of the upper left extremity, and radiculopathy of the left lower extremity have been granted service connection and increased ratings. The Veteran received a 40 percent disability rating for her lumbar spine scoliosis and arthritis as of January 19, 2018.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found that the Veteran's tinnitus had its onset in service and was related to noise exposure during service. For the lumbar spine condition, the VA examiner noted objective findings such as muscle spasm and abnormal spinal contour, which supported a grant of a higher rating based on Diagnostic Code 4053 (General Rating Formula for Diseases and Injuries of the Spine). The Veteran's radiculopathy conditions were also granted increased ratings.
- Claimed conditions
- tinnitus, arthritis of the thoracolumbar spine, radiculopathy of the upper left extremity, radiculopathy of the left lower extremity
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 40%
- Decision date
- July 9, 2019
- Citation
- 19152996
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,170 · Granted: 38% (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 19152996.
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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