The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for tinnitus is denied as the disability already has the maximum permissible schedular rating.,Service connection for hearing loss is denied because there is no current evidence of a ratable hearing loss disability according to VA standards.,An effective date earlier than December 6, 2011 for the grant of service connection for tinnitus is denied as the Veteran did not submit a claim until that date.,The Veteran's right-hand condition is currently rated at the maximum allowed and no higher rating is granted.,Service connection for a left-hand condition, mental condition, headaches, or hepatitis is denied based on lack of evidence supporting these conditions during service or since then.,Headaches are not service-connected.,Hepatitis is not service-connected.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's tinnitus already has the maximum permissible schedular rating under VA regulations. The claim for a higher rating is denied as there are no indications of other manifestations of tinnitus that are not covered by the schedular criteria.,There is no current evidence of a ratable hearing loss disability according to VA standards, meaning the Veteran does not have a currently present disability for which service connection can be granted. The claim for service connection for hearing loss is denied.,The effective date for the grant of service connection for tinnitus cannot be earlier than December 6, 2011 as there was no prior formal or informal claim filed before that date. The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date is denied.,The right-hand condition is currently rated at the maximum allowed and no higher rating is granted based on the current evidence of record.,There is insufficient evidence to support service connection for a left-hand condition, mental condition, headaches, or hepatitis since these conditions are not shown during service or since then. The claims for these conditions are denied.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for headaches is denied as there is no current evidence of a headache disability.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for hepatitis is denied as there is no current evidence of a hepatitis disability.
- Claimed conditions
- tinnitus, hearing loss, status post bone cyst excision (right hand condition), left-hand condition, mental condition, headaches, hepatitis
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 28, 2020
- Citation
- 20069889
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,669 · Granted: 23% (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 20069889.
What this means for you
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's headaches are at least as likely as not caused by his service-connected traumatic brain injury, and thus grants service connection for this condition.
- 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.
- Granted
The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as service connected. The issues of foot disability and cardiovascular disorder are remanded for additional development.
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