The Veteran's tinnitus is related to his active service and has been granted.,The Veteran's hearing loss disability did not manifest in service, within one year of service, and is unrelated to service. The claim for a hearing loss disability is denied.,There is no evidence of head and facial scarring due to service. The claim for head and facial scarring is denied.
The deciding factor: The Veteran reported experiencing ringing in his ears since service, which was related to noise exposure during active duty. A VA examiner opined that tinnitus arose due to the gasoline explosion while on active duty.,Service treatment records are negative for any complaints or diagnoses of hearing loss disability. The Veteran's current left ear hearing loss is not considered to be a result of in-service noise exposure, as there was no significant shift in hearing from audiograms obtained between 1978 and 1985.,There is no evidence of head and facial scarring due to service. The Veteran reported that the gasoline explosion caused minor scarring on his head and face, but service treatment records are negative for any complaints or diagnoses related to this issue.
- Claimed conditions
- tinnitus, hearing loss disability, pseudofolliculitis barbae (PFB)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 23, 2015
- Citation
- 1545275
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 1545275.
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.
- 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.
- Granted
The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as service connected. The issues of foot disability and cardiovascular disorder are remanded for additional development.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, finding that it is at least as likely as not that the Veteran experienced tinnitus during his active duty service.
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