The Veteran's claim for tinnitus was denied as there is no evidence of current tinnitus or a relationship to service.,Right ear hearing loss was not found to be present, thus denying the Veteran's claim for this condition.,Service connection for a back disability was denied due to lack of evidence linking the condition to in-service events.,The Veteran's DMII was denied as there is no evidence of its onset during service or a relationship to any service-connected conditions.,The right leg disability, diagnosed as venous statis and varicose veins, was not found to be related to an in-service hernia operation.
The deciding factor: There is no current diagnosis of tinnitus. The Veteran denied having symptoms and the VA examination did not find any evidence of tinnitus.,The right ear hearing loss levels were below the threshold for a disability, as determined by VA regulations.,No medical evidence was found to link the back disability to in-service events or conditions.,There is no evidence that DMII began during service and there is no established relationship between it and any service-connected condition.,The right leg disability is not related to an in-service hernia operation as there are no records of such a procedure.
- Claimed conditions
- tinnitus, right ear hearing loss, back disability, diabetes mellitus type II (DMII), right leg disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- November 19, 2019
- Citation
- 19186297
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,812 · Granted: 30% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed 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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 19186297.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: 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.
- Whole decision: 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.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as service connected. The issues of foot disability and cardiovascular disorder are remanded for additional development.
- Whole decision: 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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