The Board found that the Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his active service, as there is no evidence of such conditions during or immediately after service. The Board concluded that it was less likely than not that these disabilities were caused by noise exposure in service.
The deciding factor: The April 2009 VA examination report noted review of the claims folder and recited the Veteran's history of noise exposure in service, including his claims of firing an M1 rifle without protection when serving as a security guard for about 8 months, and firing a Winchester rifle one day, which caused his ears to ring for a short period of time. However, the examiner concluded that it was less likely than not that the Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus are related to service.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss, bilateral tinnitus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 10, 2010
- Citation
- 1034017
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 1034017.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection of bilateral hearing loss and a ruptured right ear drum was dismissed due to the death of the Veteran.
- Denied
The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was noted upon entry into active duty service and did not increase in severity during service. Therefore, it denied his claim for service connection.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral hearing loss, migraine headaches, and PTSD due to additional development of records and examination.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss claim, specifically needing an addendum opinion from a VA examiner. The Veteran will be asked to provide any missing records and former employers' information.
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