The Veteran's claims for service connection for back, right knee, and left knee disorders have been withdrawn by the Veteran.,Service connection is granted for tinnitus. The Board finds that the evidence is in equipoise as to whether the Veteran’s tinnitus was related to his military service.
The deciding factor: The Veteran withdrew his claims for back, right knee, and left knee disorders during a hearing on September 9, 2019.,There is an approximate balance of positive and negative evidence regarding the relationship between the Veteran's tinnitus and his military service. The Board finds that the evidence does not clearly and unmistakably show that the Veteran’s current tinnitus was aggravated by service.
- Claimed conditions
- back disorder, right knee disorder, left knee disorder, tinnitus, acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD), right corneal scars
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 25, 2019
- Citation
- 19188911
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,050 · Granted: 23% (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 19188911.
What this means for you
A dismissal means the Board did not decide the issue on its merits — usually because it was withdrawn or had become moot. It says more about procedure than about whether a claim like this can win.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to the need for additional development, including obtaining SSA records and providing proper notice regarding secondary 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.
- 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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