The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as service-connected. The Board finds that the evidence is in equipoise as to whether the Veteran's other claimed conditions are related to his military service.
The deciding factor: The Veteran provided credible testimony regarding the onset of his tinnitus during service and has consistently reported experiencing symptoms since then, which the Board found sufficient to establish a nexus between his current condition and service.
- Claimed conditions
- tinnitus, left-hand fracture and finger injury, bilateral hearing loss, low back disability, left ankle disability, right ankle disability, left knee disability, left hip disability, right hip disability, left foot disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 4, 2021
- Citation
- 21027148
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 21027148.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development, including a new VA examination to assess his bilateral knee and hip disabilities.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has expanded the scope of the claim to include any mental health disorder raised by the record and has remanded for additional development regarding service connection for left leg, ankle, and psychiatric disabilities.
- 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.
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