The Veteran's tinnitus and left hand conditions are granted service connection, but his bilateral hearing loss and left ankle condition are denied. The initial rating for PTSD is also granted.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found that the Veteran’s tinnitus was related to military noise exposure and provided a diagnosis of bilateral hearing loss which did not meet disability criteria under VA regulations.
- Claimed conditions
- tinnitus, bilateral hearing loss, left hand condition (left index finger), left hand condition (left little finger), left hand condition (left long finger), left hand condition (left ring finger), left hand condition (right index finger), left hand condition (right little finger), left hand condition (right long finger), left hand condition (right thumb finger), left ankle condition
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 30%
- Decision date
- December 8, 2020
- Citation
- A20018171
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,088 · Granted: 33% (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 A20018171.
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection of bilateral hearing loss and a ruptured right ear drum was dismissed due to the death of the Veteran.
- Denied
The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was noted upon entry into active duty service and did not increase in severity during service. Therefore, it denied his claim for service connection.
- 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.
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