The Veteran's appeal was dismissed due to his withdrawal of the appeal for service connection for a left varicocele. The Board found that he had bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus incurred in service.
The deciding factor: The Veteran reported continuous symptoms since service, including during his February 2016 Board hearing, which were supported by competent medical evidence showing normal hearing acuity at separation from service but decreased acuity during service, as well as private treatment records documenting bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus. The examiner provided a negative etiological opinion based on the Veteran's in-service diagnosis of right foot tendonitis and lack of post-separation notes indicating a right foot problem.
- Claimed conditions
- left varicocele, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, right foot disability (claimed as right foot tendonitis), low back disability, respiratory disability (claimed as sinusitis), headaches
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 9, 2016
- Citation
- 1618438
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 1618438.
What this means for you
A dismissal means the Board did not decide the issue on its merits — usually because it was withdrawn or had become moot. It says more about procedure than about whether a claim like this can win.
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.
- 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.
- 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.
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