The Veteran's claims for service connection for a back disability, bilateral hearing loss disability, upper respiratory disability, and Tietze’s Syndrome have all been granted. However, the claim for heart disability secondary to Tietze’s Syndrome is remanded.,Service connection has also been granted for Tietze’s Syndrome on a direct basis.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's current back disability, bilateral hearing loss disability, and upper respiratory disability are all related to service. Service connection was granted based on continuity of symptomatology since service and the presence of a current disability.,Tietze’s Syndrome is considered a separate condition from costochondritis, which is already service-connected. Therefore, it can be granted on its own merits.
- Claimed conditions
- back disability, bilateral hearing loss disability, upper respiratory disability, Tietze’s Syndrome
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 24, 2020
- Citation
- 20006194
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,050 · Granted: 32% (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 20006194.
What this means for you
A partial grant means some issues were granted while others were denied or remanded — common in multi-issue claims. Look at which issues went which way, and how each was argued.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims of service connection for a back disability, endometriosis, thyroid condition, and chronic fatigue syndrome due to new evidence submitted since the last final denial. The claims are now considered on their merits.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to incomplete service treatment records and a need for additional VA examination. The Veteran's back disability is being reviewed again with new evidence.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for back, hip, and lower extremity disabilities due to a lack of VA examination and outstanding treatment records. The Veteran's current diagnoses and lay statements will be considered in determining if his conditions are related to service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus but has remanded the issue of service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability due to inadequate examination and reasoning.
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