The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus are not related to his military service, as there is no evidence of in-service injury or disease. The current disabilities were not shown within one year of separation from service, nor can they be presumed due to exposure to noise during service.
The deciding factor: The audiometric findings at the Veteran's separation examination showed normal hearing and there was no documented history of hearing loss or tinnitus during service. While the Veteran reported in-service noise exposure, the Board finds that the current disabilities are not related to his military service due to lack of evidence of onset within one year of separation from service.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Hearing Loss Disability, Tinnitus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 27, 2009
- Citation
- 0940796
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 0940796.
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are not related to his military service.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for a higher rating for PTSD and dismissed his appeals regarding increased ratings for tinnitus and a right hand disability due to lack of timely filing of Notice of Disagreement.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including GAD, MDD, bruxism, migraines/headaches, tinnitus, hip pain, iliotibial band syndrome, and leg stress fractures. The evidence does not support current diagnoses of these conditions during the appeal period.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including bilateral pes planus with hammer toes, hallux valgus and degenerative arthritis, sleep apnea, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and bilateral kidney cysts, rendered him unable to secure or follow gainful employment. The Board granted the TDIU based on these conditions.
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