The Board finds that the Veteran does not have a current bilateral hearing loss disability for VA purposes and there is no evidence of in-service noise exposure or continuity of symptomatology. The Veteran's tinnitus was also not related to service, as his symptoms began after discharge and he did not seek treatment until nearly 40 years later.
The deciding factor: The Board found the Veteran's statements regarding continuous symptoms since service to be inconsistent with other evidence of record, including normal hearing test results during and after significant noise exposure in service. The VA examiner provided a more thorough review of all lay and medical evidence and concluded that there is no nexus between the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss or tinnitus and his military service.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss, recurrent tinnitus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 24, 2010
- Citation
- 1036079
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 1036079.
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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