The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, migraine headaches, and degenerative joint disease (DDD) of the cervical spine have all been granted. The claim for sleep apnea has also been granted.,Service connection is established for these conditions based on direct evidence.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's service treatment records did not show any complaints or diagnoses related to the claimed conditions, and there was no current medical evidence of a link between his in-service noise exposure and tinnitus. However, the Veteran provided credible testimony indicating that he experienced tinnitus during service.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Hearing Loss, Tinnitus, Sleep Apnea, Migraine Headaches, Degenerative Joint Disease (DJD)/Degenerative Disc Disease (DDD) of the Cervical Spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 8, 2018
- Citation
- 1813322
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 1813322.
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.
- 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 Board denied service connection for sleep apnea, finding that the evidence did not support a link between the condition and service.
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