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. The heart disability claim is being remanded.,Service connection has been established for the following conditions: low back disability (lumbar spondylosis and DJD), bilateral hearing loss disability, chronic bronchitis and recurrent upper respiratory infection, and Tietze’s Syndrome.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's current diagnoses of a back disability, bilateral hearing loss disability, upper respiratory disability, and Tietze’s Syndrome are supported by the evidence showing continuity of symptoms since service.,Service connection was granted for the Veteran's low back disability due to continuous treatment records and post-service confirmation of arthritis. The bilateral hearing loss claim is considered in equipoise with the Veteran's history of noise exposure during service.,The upper respiratory disability claim is granted as it began during service, meeting the direct service connection criteria. Service connection was also granted for Tietze’s Syndrome on a direct basis due to its overlap with the service-connected costochondritis.,For the heart disability claim, further evaluation and opinion are needed to determine if there is any causal relationship between the Veteran's now service-connected Tietze’s syndrome and his current heart condition.
- 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
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the issue of entitlement to service connection for a back disability due to a duty to assist error, specifically regarding VA's failure to provide the Veteran with a VA examination prior to the rating decision.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for right ankle, left ankle, back disability, and other conditions as there is no evidence of a current disability related to the Veteran's military service.
- Denied
The Veteran was awarded service connection for allergic rhinitis based on the PACT Act, but an earlier effective date prior to August 10, 2022, is not warranted.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for a back disability, effective immediately. The Board also granted a 10 percent rating for left knee tendonitis with patellofemoral pain syndrome and degenerative joint disease based on limitation of flexion from October 4, 2024, to the present, and a 50 percent rating for the same condition from February 5, 2025, to the present.
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