The veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are service-connected as they were incurred during his active duty.,The veteran's ear fungus was not present during service or for many years thereafter, and it is not linked to any incident of service.
The deciding factor: Service records do not show complaints or treatment for the conditions. The VA examiner noted that the degree and configuration of hearing loss and tinnitus are consistent with noise exposure in service.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Hearing Loss, Tinnitus, Ear Fungus (Recurrent Fungal Infection of the External Auditory Canal)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 3, 2003
- Citation
- 0333624
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 0333624.
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
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- Partly granted
The Board granted readjudication of previously denied claims for service connection for PTSD and COPD, while remanding other issues including entitlement to service connection for an eye disorder, hypertension, tinnitus, a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss, TDIU, and an initial rating for PTSD.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's conditions are related to in-service noise exposure.
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