The Board granted service connection for tinnitus, resolving doubt in the Veteran's favor. The other claims are remanded due to a duty to assist error.

The deciding factor: The VA examiner's opinions were found inadequate as they did not acknowledge the Veteran's lay statements regarding onset of symptoms or injuries during service and were based solely on the absence of complaints in his service treatment records.

Claimed conditions

tinnitus, right elbow cubital tunnel syndrome, left elbow cubital tunnel syndrome, right wrist strain (claimed as wrist condition bilateral, tendonitis joints), left wrist strain (claimed as wrist condition bilateral, tendonitis joints), right hip strain (claimed as hip condition bilateral, tendonitis joints and pulled hamstrings), left hip strain (claimed as hip condition bilateral, tendonitis joints and pulled hamstrings), right knee degenerative arthritis (claimed as knee condition bilateral, tendonitis joints), left knee degenerative arthritis (claimed as knee condition bilateral, tendonitis joints), right ankle strain (claimed as ankle bilateral, tendonitis), left ankle strain (claimed as ankle bilateral, tendonitis), lumbosacral strain (claimed as back pain), bilateral pes planus (claimed as foot condition bilateral, fallen arches bilateral, tendonitis), nerve damage, legs and toes, left lower extremity, nerve damage, legs and toes, right lower extremity, generalized anxiety disorder (claimed as anxiety condition and sleep disturbances)

How they argued it

Direct service connection

Exposure basis

None

Rating assigned

None in this decision

Decision date

November 18, 2025

Citation

A25100137

Want to see how appeals like this one tend to go? Appeals like mine