The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus have been denied. The Board finds that the evidence does not support a finding of current disability for these conditions as defined by VA standards. For his right hand condition with carpal tunnel, the Board finds in favor of the Veteran based on credible lay statements regarding the onset and continuity of symptoms since service.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's lay statements regarding the onset and continuity of tinnitus have been found to be credible, and he has reported experiencing tinnitus continuously since his military service. The VA examiner did not take into account these statements in their opinion.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Hearing Loss, Tinnitus, Right Hand Condition with Carpal Tunnel (including scars)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 20, 2017
- Citation
- 1746886
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 1746886.
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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