The Board has determined that the effective dates for service connection of tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss should be February 27, 1998, and September 23, 1997 respectively. The veteran's claims were not granted earlier due to lack of prior informal or formal claims.
The deciding factor: The earliest claim filed by the veteran for service connection was on February 27, 1998 for tinnitus, and the effective date is set accordingly. For bilateral hearing loss, the earliest claim received by VA was in June 1988, but it was denied. The reopening of this claim based on new evidence occurred on September 23, 1997, leading to a grant of service connection with an effective date of September 23, 1997.
- Claimed conditions
- tinnitus, bilateral hearing loss
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 20, 2001
- Citation
- 0111523
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 0111523.
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection of bilateral hearing loss and a ruptured right ear drum was dismissed due to the death of the Veteran.
- Denied
The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was noted upon entry into active duty service and did not increase in severity during service. Therefore, it denied his claim for service connection.
- 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.
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