The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and hypertension were not incurred in or aggravated by his service. The weight of the competent and credible evidence is against finding that these conditions began during his military service or are related to his service.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's STRs showed normal hearing at all frequencies tested except for a 15-decibel loss at the 500 Hz frequency in his right ear. His current hearing loss disability does not meet the regulatory requirements for hearing loss disability for VA purposes, and there is no medical evidence linking his current conditions to service.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, hypertension
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 9, 2011
- Citation
- 1122409
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 1122409.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hypertension and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
- 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 service connection for hearing loss, tinnitus, and an acquired psychiatric disorder due to incomplete medical records and need for further examination.
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