The appeal for earlier effective date for grant of service connection for tinnitus is dismissed.,New and material evidence has been received to reopen the claim for service connection for a back disorder, but not for kidney disorder. The claims are denied.
The deciding factor: The Veteran withdrew his appeal for an earlier effective date for grant of service connection for tinnitus at the May 2019 Board hearing.,For the back disorder claim, new and material evidence was received that related to an unestablished fact necessary to substantiate the claim (diagnosis of degenerative arthritis of the spine). However, this evidence does not raise a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claim.
- Claimed conditions
- tinnitus, back disorder, kidney disorder, lumbar spine disorder, bilateral foot disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 9, 2019
- Citation
- 19169734
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 19169734.
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A dismissal means the Board did not decide the issue on its merits — usually because it was withdrawn or had become moot.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 case due to the need for additional development, including obtaining SSA records and providing proper notice regarding secondary service connection.
- 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.
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