The Veteran's tinnitus is at least as likely as not related to his active service, and the Board finds that he has a current disability of tinnitus. The Veteran also testified about hearing loss in 1992, but VA treatment records from this period are missing. Therefore, additional development including obtaining relevant VA treatment records and scheduling a VA examination for PTSD is needed before deciding these claims.
The deciding factor: The Board finds that the Veteran's tinnitus is related to his active service due to noise exposure during combat duty in Vietnam. However, there may be outstanding VA medical records from 1992-2006 and since January 2010 which contain information pertinent to the Veteran's claim for hearing loss.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 17, 2014
- Citation
- 1402539
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 1402539.
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 service connection for hearing loss, tinnitus, and an acquired psychiatric disorder due to incomplete medical records and need for further examination.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus, arthritis, and memory loss. The decision found no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.
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