The Board denied the veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that there was no competent and persuasive evidence showing a relationship between his current conditions and his military service.
The deciding factor: The VA medical records did not show any chronic hearing or ear condition during service. The Board found the veteran's self-reported history of hearing loss and tinnitus dating back to 1965 is not credible, as there was no contemporaneous medical evidence supporting this claim. The March 2004 VA examiner concluded that the veteran's current hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his military service.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral sensorineural hearing loss, tinnitus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 15, 2008
- Citation
- 0805545
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 0805545.
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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