The Veteran's tinnitus was not shown to have started during service and is not otherwise related to an in-service injury or disease.,Systemic lupus and dermatitis of the face, neck, ears, fingers, and hands were not shown as chronic in service and are not otherwise etiologically related to an in-service injury or disease.,The Veteran's tinnitus was diagnosed years after separation from service and is not considered service-connected.
The deciding factor: There is no evidence of tinnitus during service. The VA examiner concluded that the condition is not related to military noise exposure, as there was no documented acoustic injury.,No in-service diagnosis or treatment for systemic lupus or dermatitis of the face, neck, ears, fingers, and hands was found. The Veteran's symptoms first appeared decades after separation from service.,The VA examiner concluded that tinnitus is not related to military noise exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- tinnitus, systemic lupus, dermatitis of the face, neck, ears, fingers, and hands
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 20, 2020
- Citation
- 20074708
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,455 · 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 20074708.
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.
- 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.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, finding that it is at least as likely as not that the Veteran experienced tinnitus during his active duty service.
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