The Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are found to be at least as likely as not related to his military service, including in-service noise exposure and a perforated left eardrum.,The Veteran currently suffers from Barrett's esophagus and GERD, which the Board finds is less likely than not caused by or related to his military service.
The deciding factor: Competent evidence shows that the Veteran experienced in-service noise exposure and a perforated left eardrum. The VA examiner found it less likely as not that the current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are causally related to service, but the Board affirms this finding due to the equipoise of evidence.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Hearing Loss, Tinnitus, Barrett's Esophagus, Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 7, 2016
- Citation
- 1640211
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 1640211.
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 service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are not related to his military service.
- Granted
The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is granted as service-connected. The claims for alcohol abuse and psychiatric disorder are remanded for additional development, including a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of these conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a need for a new VA examination to assess the current severity of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss. The issue remains under direct service connection theory.
- Denied
The Veteran's hearing loss was rated at 30 percent, the highest non-compensable rating available. The Board found that his hearing loss did not warrant a higher rating based on VA examinations and medical records.
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