The Board denied service connection for tinnitus, an initial disability rating in excess of 70 percent for depressive disorder with anxiety disorder unspecified, and remanded several other issues including the claims for service connection for urinary incontinence, lumbosacral strain, and sciatic nerves.
The deciding factor: The negative VA opinions provided by audiologists were found to be more probative than the positive private opinion due to their detailed rationales and expertise in analyzing noise exposure data. The evidence did not support a nexus between tinnitus and service for the direct service connection theory.
- Claimed conditions
- tinnitus, depressive disorder with anxiety disorder unspecified (herein depressive disorder), urinary incontinence
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 20, 2025
- Citation
- A25090427
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 785 · Granted: 27% (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 A25090427.
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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