The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral tinnitus is granted. The claims for increased rating for low back strain and service connection for facial basal cancer are remanded.
The deciding factor: The Board found the evidence in relative equipoise as to whether the Veteran’s current bilateral tinnitus was related to in-service acoustic trauma, granting service connection.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral tinnitus, low back strain, facial basal cancer
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 20, 2019
- Citation
- 19187927
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,156 · Granted: 29% (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 19187927.
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 withdrew all his appeals, including the one for an increased rating for low back strain.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for left toe amputation, triple bypass surgery, blockage in legs, and bilateral tinnitus due to procedural errors and the need for additional medical opinions regarding potential exposure to toxins during service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection for athletes' foot, low back strain, and plantar fasciitis due to a lack of a VA examination prior to the August 2020 rating decision.
- Granted
The Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea is granted as secondary to his service-connected major depressive disorder.,The Veteran's bilateral tinnitus is granted based on in-service noise exposure and current diagnosis.,The Veteran's Non-Hodgkin lymphoma is granted due to presumptive service connection for exposure at Fort McClellan, Alabama.,The Veteran's status post total shoulder replacement, to include degenerative arthritis, is granted as incurred in service.,The Veteran's scar, residual right shoulder surgery, is granted as it is related to his now service-connected status post total shoulder replacement.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.