The Board has granted service connection for bilateral tinnitus. The cases of left elbow disability, bilateral knee disability, gastroesophageal reflux disorder (GERD), upper respiratory disability, and acquired psychiatric disability are remanded.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's testimony established that his disabilities began during service due to in-service noise exposure, military wear and tear, and JP8 fuel exposure. The VA examinations did not provide sufficient opinions on the etiology of these conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral tinnitus, left elbow disability, bilateral knee disability, gastroesophageal reflux disorder (GERD), upper respiratory disability, acquired psychiatric disability, to include posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and insomnia
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 12, 2019
- Citation
- 19193490
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 19193490.
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 Board remands the claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder to ensure a proper examination and etiology opinion are provided.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the service connection claim for a bilateral knee disability to correct a pre-decisional duty to assist error, including scheduling an additional VA examination.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the appeals for service connection for a bilateral knee disability, bilateral upper and lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, lumbar spine disability, cervical spine disability, and chronic pain syndrome due to untimely notices of disagreement.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for various conditions, including GERD, chronic kidney disease, COPD, a heart condition, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, insomnia, and obstructive sleep apnea, as additional development is necessary to address the Veteran's exposure to toxic chemical agents during his service.
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