The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as service-connected.,The Veteran's right foot fungal infection and left foot fungal infection are both granted as service-connected.,Service connection for a right ankle sprain, acne, and bilateral leg pain is remanded.
The deciding factor: The preponderance of the evidence shows that the Veteran’s tinnitus was initiated by his exposure to hazardous noise while in service due to exposure to jet engines.,The May 2014 private examiner concluded that the Veteran's current fungal infection was more likely than not contracted while wearing shoes/boots for long hours during service. Given the lack of conflicting evidence, the Board affords this opinion substantial weight.,Considering the Veteran has demonstrated both a possible current impairment and at least one in-service complaint of bilateral leg pain, the Board believes that a medical examination with opinions based on full consideration of the Veteran’s documented medical history and assertions, and supported by clearly stated rationale, would be helpful in resolving the service-connection claim.
- Claimed conditions
- tinnitus, right foot fungal infection, left foot fungal infection, right ankle sprain, acne, right leg pain, left leg pain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 13, 2020
- Citation
- 20002696
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,614 · Granted: 35% (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 20002696.
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 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.
- 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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