Service connection for a right elbow disability is dismissed.,Service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied.,Service connection for tinnitus is granted.,Service connection for left ankle and right ankle disabilities are remanded.,Service connection for left foot bunions, corns and calluses, right foot bunions, corns and calluses, bilateral foot fungus and peeling, and left and right foot numbness are all remanded.,Service connection for headaches is remanded.,Service connection for Bell's palsy is remanded.,Service connection for a left shoulder disability is remanded.,Service connection for a left knee disability is remanded.
The deciding factor: The Veteran withdrew his appeal for the issue of service connection for a right elbow disability during his hearing before the Board.,There is no evidence of disabling bilateral hearing loss as defined by VA regulations during the period on appeal.,Service connection for tinnitus is granted because it is at least as likely as not that the noise exposure in Kuwait caused the Veteran's tinnitus, which started while he was deployed there.,The Veteran has provided credible testimony regarding his ankle symptoms and their onset during basic training and deployment to Kuwait. An examination is necessary to determine if these disabilities are related to service.,There is no evidence of disabling foot conditions as defined by VA regulations during the period on appeal.,Service connection for headaches, Bell's palsy, left shoulder disability, and left knee disability are remanded because there is credible testimony regarding their onset during periods of ACDUTRA. An examination is necessary to determine if these disabilities are related to service.,The Veteran has provided credible testimony regarding his shoulder and knee disabilities and their onset during basic training and deployment to Kuwait. An examination is necessary to determine if these disabilities are related to service.
- Claimed conditions
- right elbow, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, left ankle, right ankle, left foot bunions, corns and calluses, right foot bunions, corns and calluses, bilateral foot fungus and peeling, left foot numbness, right foot numbness, headaches, Bell's palsy, left shoulder, left knee
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 1, 2021
- Citation
- 21061325
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,170 · Granted: 38% (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 21061325.
What this means for you
A dismissal means the Board did not decide the issue on its merits — usually because it was withdrawn or had become moot. It says more about procedure than about whether a claim like this can win.
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.
- 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.
- 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.
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