The Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates and increased ratings have been denied.,The Veteran was granted service connection for tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss on April 16, 2018. The right shoulder strain rating has been increased to 20 percent since June 26, 2018. Service connection for left lower extremity radiculopathy was established on the same date.,The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus have no effective dates earlier than April 16, 2018.,Right shoulder strain has an effective date of June 26, 2018. The left lower extremity radiculopathy was granted service connection on the same date.,The Veteran's left hamstring injury residuals and lumbar strain have no effective dates earlier than April 16, 2018.,Left knee strain has an effective date of June 26, 2018. The Veteran's right shoulder strain rating was increased to 20 percent on the same date.,The Veteran's lumbar strain and left knee strain have no effective dates earlier than April 16, 2018.
The deciding factor: There is no evidence of a prior claim for tinnitus or bilateral hearing loss before April 16, 2018. The right shoulder strain rating was increased to 20 percent on June 26, 2018.,The left lower extremity radiculopathy was granted service connection on the same date as the right shoulder strain increase (June 26, 2018).,Bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were initially claimed in April 16, 2018. The effective dates for these conditions are fixed at that time.,The Veteran's left hamstring injury residuals and lumbar strain have no earlier effective dates as they were granted service connection on the same date (June 26, 2018).,Left knee strain was initially claimed in June 2018. The effective date for this condition is fixed at that time.,Right shoulder strain and lumbar strain have no earlier effective dates as they were increased to 20 percent on the same date (June 26, 2018).,Left knee strain has an effective date of June 26, 2018.
- Claimed conditions
- tinnitus, bilateral hearing loss, right shoulder strain, left lower extremity radiculopathy, left hamstring injury residuals, lumbar strain, left knee strain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 10, 2020
- Citation
- 20059566
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 20059566.
What this means for you
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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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