The Veteran's claim for service connection for a right shoulder disability is granted.,Service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied.,Service connection for tinnitus is granted.,Service connection for low back disability and cervical spine disorder are both denied.,Service connection for bilateral plantar fasciitis, intestinal issue, right hand disability, and left hand disability are all denied.
The deciding factor: New evidence was submitted that raised a reasonable possibility of substantiating the Veteran's claims for service connection for a right shoulder disorder. The VA examiner found no evidence to support the Veteran’s claim.,The Veteran did not have hearing loss as defined by VA regulations, and his current hearing loss is attributed to post-service factors.,The Veteran reported tinnitus that began during service and has continued since then. The VA examiner concluded that it was less likely related to military noise exposure but more likely due to the Veteran's own observations of symptoms over time.,There were no complaints or findings of a low back condition in service, and the current condition is attributed to age, obesity, and other non-service-related factors.,The VA examiner found that the Veteran’s cervical spine disorder was related to his military service or environmental factors acquired during service. The Veteran's own testimony contradicted this finding.
- Claimed conditions
- right shoulder disability, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, low back disability, cervical spine disorder, bilateral plantar fasciitis, intestinal issue, right hand disability, left hand disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 27, 2019
- Citation
- 19175362
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 19175362.
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection of bilateral hearing loss and a ruptured right ear drum was dismissed due to the death of the Veteran.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's right shoulder disability and migraines/chronic headaches are remanded for additional development due to insufficient opinions on the etiology of her conditions.
- Denied
The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was noted upon entry into active duty service and did not increase in severity during service. Therefore, it denied his claim for 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.
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