The Veteran's tinnitus had onset during service and the Board finds that it was incurred in active military service.
The deciding factor: The Veteran reported that his tinnitus began in the 1980s, which is consistent with onset during service. Service treatment records reflect the Veteran described decreased hearing and Eustachian tube dysfunction since the first week of January, leading to a history of upper respiratory infection with symptoms of decreased auditory acuity and 'hearing noise as if in a band.'
- Claimed conditions
- tinnitus, arthritis of the bilateral knees, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, coronary artery disease, headaches, memory loss, sleep disturbance
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 21, 2014
- Citation
- 1437365
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 1437365.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's headaches are at least as likely as not caused by his service-connected traumatic brain injury, and thus grants service connection for this condition.
- 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.
- 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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