The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as service-connected.,Service connection for degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine and associated left lower extremity radiculopathy of the sciatic nerve is granted with an effective date of August 28, 2017.,Service connection for bilateral shin splints is remanded due to inadequate medical opinion.,Service connection for bilateral foot disorder, to include plantar fasciitis and bunions, is remanded due to inadequate medical opinion.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's tinnitus was observed during service and has persisted since then. The Board found the Veteran credible in her testimony regarding the onset of tinnitus during service.,Service connection for degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine and associated left lower extremity radiculopathy of the sciatic nerve is granted as there is a positive nexus opinion linking the current condition to service, specifically noting a herniated disc at L5-S1 during service and a March 2011 MRI showing degenerative signal loss from the disc and disc space narrowing.,The November 2017 VA examination found bilateral shin splints but opined that they were less likely caused by in-service shin splints, citing lack of documentation in STRs. The Board finds this opinion inadequate as it does not account for the Veteran's statements regarding her symptoms during service and throughout her military career.,The November 2017 VA examination found bilateral foot disorder but did not provide a nexus opinion linking current conditions to service. The Board finds this opinion inadequate as it did not address the Veteran's statements regarding her symptoms during service.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral foot disorder, to include plantar fasciitis and bunions, bilateral shin splints, degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine with associated left lower extremity radiculopathy of the sciatic nerve, tinnitus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 8, 2019
- Citation
- 19161325
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 961 · Granted: 20% (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 19161325.
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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