Service connection is granted for right ear sensorineural hearing loss, left ear sensorineural hearing loss, and tinnitus.,Service connection is denied for unspecified depressive disorder, right ankle degenerative arthritis, left ankle degenerative arthritis, right knee osteoarthritis status post total replacement, left knee osteoarthritis status post meniscal tear repair, right hip degenerative arthritis, left hip degenerative arthritis and femoral acetabular impingement syndrome, right wrist degenerative arthritis, left wrist degenerative arthritis, right shoulder acromioclavicular osteoarthritis and rotator cuff tear status post total replacement, left shoulder acromioclavicular osteoarthritis, right lateral epicondylitis, left lateral epicondylitis, neck pain, lumbar spine DJD, spinal stenosis, degenerative disc disease (DDD), lumbosacral strain, and radiculopathy.,Service connection is denied for coronary artery disease, atrial fibrillation, and hypertensive heart disease.
The deciding factor: The evidence does not show a psychological injury or event during service that could have caused the current unspecified depressive disorder. The current condition was not caused by or worsened in severity by the service-connected bilateral feet calluses.,The Veteran was exposed to loud noise (acoustic trauma) during service, which is considered hazardous exposure. The current hearing loss and tinnitus are etiologically related to this exposure.,There was no relevant respiratory injury or disease during service and symptoms of OSA were not present during service. The current condition is not etiologically related to service.,The evidence does not show a cardiovascular injury, disease, event, or 'chronic' symptoms of hypertensive heart or coronary artery disease during service. Symptoms did not manifest to a compensable degree within one year of service and were not continuous since service separation. The current heart disabilities are not etiologically related to service.,There was no relevant ankle injury, disease, event, or 'chronic' symptoms of left knee or hip degenerative arthritis during service. Symptoms did not manifest to a compensable degree within one year of service and were not continuous since service separation. The current ankle, knee, and hip disabilities are not etiologically related to service.,There was no relevant wrist injury, disease, event, or 'chronic' symptoms of wrist or shoulder arthritis during service. Symptoms did not manifest to a compensable degree within one year of service and were not continuous since service separation. The current wrist, shoulder, and elbow disabilities are not etiologically related to service.,There was no neck injury, disease, or event during service. The current condition is etiologically related to service.,The evidence shows a low back injury during INACDUTRA. The current back disabilities are etiologically related to service.
- Claimed conditions
- unspecified depressive disorder, right ear sensorineural hearing loss, left ear sensorineural hearing loss, tinnitus, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), coronary artery disease, atrial fibrillation, hypertensive heart disease, right ankle degenerative arthritis, left ankle degenerative arthritis, right knee osteoarthritis status post total replacement, left knee osteoarthritis status post meniscal tear repair, right hip degenerative arthritis, left hip degenerative arthritis and femoral acetabular impingement syndrome, right wrist degenerative arthritis, left wrist degenerative arthritis, right shoulder acromioclavicular osteoarthritis and rotator cuff tear status post total replacement, left shoulder acromioclavicular osteoarthritis, right lateral epicondylitis, left lateral epicondylitis, neck pain, lumbar spine DJD, spinal stenosis, degenerative disc disease (DDD), lumbosacral strain, and radiculopathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 13, 2023
- Citation
- 23055970
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 23055970.
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 the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
- 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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