Service connection for tinnitus is granted as the Veteran's lay testimony supports a finding that his tinnitus began during service and has continued to present day.,Service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, including PTSD, is denied as there is no current diagnosis of such condition.
The deciding factor: The evidence is at least in relative equipoise on the issue of whether the Veteran's tinnitus began during service. The Board finds the Veteran competent to report ringing in his ears in and since active military service.,There is no other evidence in file of a diagnosed psychiatric disability, and the April 2018 VA examiner determined that the Veteran does not have PTSD.
- Claimed conditions
- tinnitus, acquired psychiatric disability (including PTSD), left lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, right lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, bilateral hearing loss
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 23, 2020
- Citation
- 20074853
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,429 · Granted: 29% (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 20074853.
What this means for you
A partial grant means some issues were granted while others were denied or remanded — common in multi-issue claims. Look at which issues went which way, and how each was argued.
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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