The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current diagnoses are etiologically related to noise exposure during active military service. Service connection was denied for an acquired psychiatric disorder.
The deciding factor: The March 2014 VA expert opinion provided a thorough review of the claims file and concluded that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were at least as likely as not due to military noise exposure, while his acquired psychiatric disorder did not clearly and unmistakably pre-exist service.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, an acquired psychiatric disorder (depressive disorder)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 5, 2014
- Citation
- 1420061
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 1420061.
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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