The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that the Veteran's preexisting hearing loss worsened during his active duty. Service connection was denied for tinnitus due to lack of credible evidence linking it to service.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found no clear and unmistakable evidence that the worsening of the Veteran's hearing loss was not due to natural progression, but also noted significant post-service noise exposure which did not demonstrate by clear and unmistakable evidence that in-service worsening is due to the natural progress of the disease.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus
- How they argued it
- Aggravation of a pre-existing condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 1, 2014
- Citation
- 1419349
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 1419349.
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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