The Veteran's tinnitus claim is granted, and his bilateral hip conditions are now service-connected. His claims for increased disability rating for tinea versicolor and right ear tumor are dismissed due to withdrawal of appeal. Service connection for left and right hearing loss is denied. The Veteran's hypertension claim remains pending.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found the Veteran’s tinnitus less likely than not due to his active duty service, citing noise exposure but also noting that it was often associated with hearing loss. For bilateral hip conditions, the evidence showed a history of symptoms during service and continued presence post-service, meeting the criteria for presumptive service connection.
- Claimed conditions
- tinea versicolor, right ear tumor, bilateral hearing loss (left and right ears), hypertension, bilateral hip osteoarthritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 0%
- Decision date
- November 8, 2019
- Citation
- 19184787
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.
- Granted
The Board granted an effective date of October 21, 2021, for the grant of service connection for hypertension.
- Dismissed
The appeal for a compensable rating for left ear hearing loss, service connection for right ear hearing loss, and bilateral vision condition was dismissed. Service connection for hypertension, congestive heart failure, and coronary artery disease was denied.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including prostate cancer and related disabilities, urinary incontinence, sleep apnea, hypertension, varicose veins, lumbar spine disability, hip arthritis, shoulder arthritis, ankle arthritis, knee strain, knee replacement, and hand arthritis. The only condition granted was a 10 percent rating for a fracture of the right proximal first metacarpal.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for headaches and increased ratings for left shoulder rotator cuff tear, right shoulder rotator cuff tear, hypertension, and left and right leg restless leg syndrome. The Board denied a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss and an initial rating in excess of 70 percent for posttraumatic stress disorder.
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