The Board denied service connection for bilateral defective hearing and tinnitus, finding no evidence of such conditions in service or until many years after discharge. Service connection was also denied for an evaluation in excess of 10 percent for bilateral pes planus due to the absence of more severe impairment.,Service connection for residuals of cold injuries to the right and left foot was granted with a 30 percent rating effective from January 29, 2001. The earliest effective date for this service connection is January 29, 2001.
The deciding factor: The veteran did not present any competent medical evidence linking his current hearing loss or tinnitus to military service and the Board found no basis to establish service connection.,There was no objective evidence of a chronic condition in service or during the presumptive period, and the first reference to any ear problem was not shown until 2002. The veteran's assertions regarding exposure to acoustic trauma were accepted but without supporting medical evidence.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral defective hearing, Bilateral pes planus, Tinnitus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 15, 2004
- Citation
- 0418988
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 0418988.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Partly granted
The Board denied a rating in excess of 50 percent for bilateral pes planus and remanded the claims for service connection for tingling and numbness in the bilateral lower extremities and entitlement to TDIU.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for depressive disorder as secondary to hypertension and tinnitus, but denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and an increased rating for hypertension.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, but remanded the claim for degenerative disc disease with degenerative arthritis.
- Granted
The Board granted earlier effective dates of November 5, 2021, for the grants of service connection and eligibility for DEA benefits.
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