The Board found that the Veteran's low back disorder was aggravated by his active service, while new and material evidence was provided to reopen a claim for bilateral hearing loss but not for tinnitus.
The deciding factor: The deciding factor was the medical opinion suggesting a causal relationship between the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and service, as well as clear and unmistakable evidence that his low back disorder existed prior to service and worsened during it.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral hearing loss, Tinnitus, Low back disorder
- How they argued it
- Aggravation of a pre-existing condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 11, 2009
- Citation
- 0904964
What this means for you
A partial grant means some issues were granted while others were denied or remanded — common in multi-issue claims. Look at which issues went which way, and how each was argued.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, as there was no evidence of a current disability in the right ear and insufficient evidence to establish a nexus between the left ear hearing loss and service.
- 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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the matter for a medical clarification regarding whether the Veteran's service-connected epilepsy has aggravated his bilateral hearing loss.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss to obtain an addendum opinion addressing the Veteran's lay statements regarding in-service acoustic trauma and a rocket blast injury.
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