The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current left ear hearing loss disability for VA compensation purposes and denied service connection for right ear hearing loss and tinnitus. The evidence did not show chronic symptoms of right ear hearing loss or tinnitus during service, nor were they shown to be related to military noise exposure.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's service treatment records are silent for any diagnosis of hearing impairment or tinnitus. Post-service medical evidence does not demonstrate a current left ear hearing loss disability and the preponderance of the evidence is against finding that right ear hearing loss or tinnitus were incurred in service, including as due to noise exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- Left ear hearing loss, Right ear hearing loss, Tinnitus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 30, 2017
- Citation
- 1725163
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 1725163.
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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.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for a higher rating for PTSD and dismissed his appeals regarding increased ratings for tinnitus and a right hand disability due to lack of timely filing of Notice of Disagreement.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including GAD, MDD, bruxism, migraines/headaches, tinnitus, hip pain, iliotibial band syndrome, and leg stress fractures. The evidence does not support current diagnoses of these conditions during the appeal period.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including bilateral pes planus with hammer toes, hallux valgus and degenerative arthritis, sleep apnea, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and bilateral kidney cysts, rendered him unable to secure or follow gainful employment. The Board granted the TDIU based on these conditions.
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