The Veteran's left ear hearing loss is denied as there is no evidence of a current disability.,Right ear hearing loss and tinnitus are granted as they are related to service. The right ear hearing loss is linked to the Veteran's military noise exposure, while his tinnitus is considered secondary to his right ear hearing loss.,The claim for low back pain has been reopened due to new evidence submitted by the Veteran. Service connection will be remanded and a medical opinion will need to be obtained regarding whether the condition originated in service or if it was aggravated by service.,The claim for obstructive sleep apnea has also been reopened, but further development is needed as no direct service connection can be established based on the current evidence.
The deciding factor: There is no clinical evidence of a left ear hearing disability at any time during the pendency of the claim. The Veteran's hearing was within normal limits upon separation from service.,The right ear hearing loss and tinnitus are considered to have been caused by noise exposure in service, as evidenced by the Veteran's military occupational specialty (MOS) being infantry officer which is associated with high probability of noise exposure.,While there is no direct evidence linking the low back condition to service, the examiner did not provide a full rationale for his opinion and thus it is inadequate. The claim will be remanded for further examination and an opinion regarding whether the Veteran's current condition originated in service or was aggravated by service.,The Veteran submitted a private sleep study that diagnosed him with OSA. However, no medical opinion has been provided to establish direct service connection.
- Claimed conditions
- left ear hearing loss, right ear hearing loss, tinnitus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 0%
- Decision date
- July 3, 2018
- Citation
- 18115850
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 18115850.
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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