The Board has granted service connection for a right knee disability and tinnitus, finding the evidence at least in equipoise as to whether these conditions are related to active service.,Service connection was denied for bilateral hearing loss and left ankle disabilities due to lack of evidence showing current disabilities.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found that the Veteran's right knee disability is likely related to his military service, with no indication of pre-existing conditions or other causes. The tinnitus onset during active service was also considered.,For bilateral hearing loss and left ankle disabilities, there was insufficient evidence showing current disabilities, as indicated by normal hearing sensitivity at discharge and post-service examinations.
- Claimed conditions
- Right Knee Disability, Tinnitus, Bilateral Hearing Loss, Left Ankle Disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- October 26, 2020
- Citation
- A20016018
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 112 · Granted: 20% (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 A20016018.
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.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected knee disabilities are rated at 10% each, and the Board finds that higher ratings are not warranted based on the evidence of record.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are not related to his military service.
- Denied
The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral knee disabilities are not related to his active service, and thus denied both claims for service connection.
- Granted
The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is granted as service-connected. The claims for alcohol abuse and psychiatric disorder are remanded for additional development, including a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of these conditions.
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