The Board has determined that the veteran did not incur hearing loss as a result of his military service and denied both his claim for service connection for hearing loss and his request for an increased disability rating for tinnitus. The highest schedular rating available for bilateral tinnitus is 10 percent, which was already assigned.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the veteran's current hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his military service due to a lack of evidence showing chronicity during service or within one year post-service. The VA examiners' opinions were inconsistent until they reviewed the discharge examination results, which showed normal audiometric findings at separation.
- Claimed conditions
- hearing loss, tinnitus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- March 15, 2007
- Citation
- 0707864
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 0707864.
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.
- 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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