The Veteran's tinnitus and degenerative arthritis of the thoracolumbar spine were granted service connection. The right and left knee disabilities were denied, but an earlier effective date for the low back disability was granted.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the Veteran had honorable periods of service during which he worked as an engineer equipment operator, exposing him to hazardous noise levels. His tinnitus began during this period and is presumed to have been incurred in service due to his exposure to loud noises. The right and left knee disabilities were not shown to be related to service.
- Claimed conditions
- degenerative arthritis of the thoracolumbar spine, tinnitus, right knee disability, left knee disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 100%
- Decision date
- October 3, 2019
- Citation
- 19176796
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,738 · Granted: 17% (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 19176796.
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 Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development, including a new VA examination to assess his bilateral knee and hip disabilities.
- 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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