The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus did not manifest in service or to a compensable degree within one year after service separation, were not continuous since service, and are not shown by the weight of the competent and probative evidence of record to be otherwise etiologically related to service. The Veteran's PTSD has been manifested by chronic sleep impairment (including nightmares), mood disturbances (depression, anxiety, irritability), some social isolation with mistrust or suspiciousness of others, and difficulties with social relationships and managing social conflict.
The deciding factor: The VA examiners found no scientific basis for the presence of delayed onset hearing loss or tinnitus decades after acoustic trauma. The Veteran's service treatment records contain no evidence of bilateral hearing loss or tinnitus experienced during service.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Hearing Loss, Tinnitus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 13, 2017
- Citation
- 1738900
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 1738900.
What this means for you
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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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