The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, finding that it is presumed to have been incurred in service. Service connection was denied for low back disorder, bilateral hearing loss, and bilateral shoulder disorder due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to service or the presumption provisions. Memory loss was not found to be related to service.
The deciding factor: The Board determined that tinnitus could be presumed as it manifested within one year of separation from service and is a recognized chronic disease under VA regulations.
- Claimed conditions
- Low back disorder, Bilateral hearing loss, Tinnitus, Bilateral shoulder disorder, Memory loss
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 0%
- Decision date
- November 29, 2021
- Citation
- 21071009
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 21071009.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are not related to his military service.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for a low back disorder was reopened, and his claims for increased ratings of bilateral knee instability were granted. His hearing loss claim was denied.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for a higher rating for PTSD and dismissed his appeals regarding increased ratings for tinnitus and a right hand disability due to lack of timely filing of Notice of Disagreement.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including GAD, MDD, bruxism, migraines/headaches, tinnitus, hip pain, iliotibial band syndrome, and leg stress fractures. The evidence does not support current diagnoses of these conditions during the appeal period.
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