The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus had its onset and was shown in service, and there have been subsequent manifestations of the same chronic disease during the appeal period. As such, pursuant to 38 C.F.R. § 3.303(b), as the Veteran's tinnitus (a chronic disease for purposes of VA regulations) was shown in service and there have been subsequent manifestations of the same chronic disease during the appeal period, the Board concludes that tinnitus was incurred in service.
The deciding factor: The Veteran reported experiencing ringing in his ears following a mortar attack in service, which continued with exposure to helicopters. The Board found this credible and conceded the Veteran's exposure to acoustic trauma. A private medical opinion suggested that the Veteran's tinnitus was likely contributed to by intense military noise exposure. However, the January 2013 VA examiner concluded that the tinnitus was less likely than not related to in-service injury, event or illness due to the association with hearing loss.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss disability, tinnitus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 5, 2017
- Citation
- 1755803
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 1755803.
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.
- 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.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus, arthritis, and memory loss. The decision found no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.
- Granted
The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as service connected. The issues of foot disability and cardiovascular disorder are remanded for additional development.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, finding that it is at least as likely as not that the Veteran experienced tinnitus during his active duty service.
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