The Board has granted service connection for bilateral tinnitus and finds that the Veteran's current tinnitus is causally related to his time in service. The issues of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss, lumbar spinal strain, and an increased rating for painful exostosis of the left anterior chest are remanded.
The deciding factor: The Veteran reported ringing in ears during service and has consistently maintained this as a symptom since then. His lay statements have been found credible, and his tinnitus is considered to be causally related to service.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral tinnitus, bilateral hearing loss, lumbar spinal strain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 23, 2011
- Citation
- 1143021
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 1143021.
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.
- 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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