The Veteran's tinnitus was granted service connection, and his mild degenerative joint disease of the left shoulder received a compensable rating. The issue of bilateral hearing loss remains pending.
The deciding factor: Both a private audiologist and VA examiner provided positive nexus opinions linking the Veteran's current tinnitus to his active military service, including exposure to artillery fire without hearing protection. For the mild degenerative joint disease of the left shoulder, the VA examination found that the disability was productive of range of motion limited to 70 degrees with no further decreased range of motion due to pain, fatigue, weakness, lack of endurance or incoordination.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Hearing Loss, Tinnitus, Mild Degenerative Joint Disease, Left Shoulder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- July 1, 2010
- Citation
- 1024651
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 1024651.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is granted as service-connected. The claims for alcohol abuse and psychiatric disorder are remanded for additional development, including a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of these conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a need for a new VA examination to assess the current severity of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss. The issue remains under direct service connection theory.
- Denied
The Veteran's hearing loss was rated at 30 percent, the highest non-compensable rating available. The Board found that his hearing loss did not warrant a higher rating based on VA examinations and medical records.
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