The Veteran's claim for an effective date prior to September 7, 2020, for the grant of service connection for a kidney disability was denied.,The Veteran's claims for initial evaluations in excess of 10 percent for left index finger and long finger disabilities were both denied.,The Veteran's claim for an evaluation in excess of 10 percent for tinnitus was also denied.
The deciding factor: There is no evidence or document in the claims file received by VA prior to September 7, 2020, which can reasonably be construed as a claim for service connection for a kidney disability.,The Veteran's left index finger and long finger disabilities are currently rated at the maximum schedular rating of 10 percent under Diagnostic Code 5229. There is no evidence of ankylosis or amputation in either hand, which would warrant higher ratings.,Tinnitus has its own code (Diagnostic Code 6260) and only a single evaluation may be assigned for recurrent tinnitus, regardless of whether it is unilateral or bilateral.
- Claimed conditions
- kidney disability, left index finger disability, left long finger disability, tinnitus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 10, 2024
- Citation
- A24064798
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 793 · Granted: 28% (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 A24064798.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- 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.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, finding that it is at least as likely as not that the Veteran experienced tinnitus during his active duty service.
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