The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as service-connected.,The Veteran's right knee disability, secondary to his left knee disability, is granted as service-connected.,An effective date prior to August 12, 2016, for the assignment of a 10 percent rating for residuals of left knee sprain is denied.,Service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability is remanded.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's tinnitus was due to in-service noise exposure or onset during service and resolved since separation from service, meeting the criteria for service connection under VA regulations.,The evidence is at least in relative equipoise regarding whether the right knee disability is caused by his service-connected left knee disability, warranting a grant of service connection on a secondary basis.,There is no factual ascertainability as to an increase in severity of the Veteran's right ankle and low back disabilities one year prior to December 5, 2017, which is the earliest effective date allowed for increased ratings under VA regulations.,The Veteran should have been provided with a VA audiological examination to determine if he has a current diagnosis of hearing loss disability based on established noise exposure and complaints.
- Claimed conditions
- tinnitus, right knee disability, bilateral hearing loss disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 21, 2022
- Citation
- 22053513
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 22053513.
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.
- 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 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.
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