The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus began in service and is related to noise exposure. Service connection for bilateral hearing loss, knee disability, shoulder disability, elbow disability, wrist disability, hand disability, and hip disability are granted as they are considered direct service connections due to cold injury exposure.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found that the Veteran's tinnitus began in service and is related to noise exposure. The Board also determined that the Veteran's other disabilities (bilateral hearing loss, knee disability, shoulder disability, elbow disability, wrist disability, hand disability, and hip disability) are considered direct service connections due to cold injury exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, bilateral knee disability to include as due to cold injury, bilateral shoulder disability to include as due to cold injury, bilateral elbow disability to include as due to cold injury, bilateral wrist disability to include as due to cold injury, bilateral hand disability to include as due to cold injury, bilateral hip disability to include as due to cold injury
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 11, 2015
- Citation
- 1510036
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 1510036.
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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