The Board has determined that the Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus disabilities are not related to his active service, but additional evidence is needed for other conditions. The Veteran will need to provide updated treatment records and undergo a new VA examination.

The deciding factor: The examiner did not specify the nature of the in-service acoustic trauma or the post-service acoustic trauma or provide a clear rationale explaining why the post-service acoustic trauma outweighs the Veteran’s in-service acoustic trauma.

Claimed conditions

bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, degenerative joint disease left shoulder, degenerative joint disease right shoulder, degenerative joint disease left elbow, degenerative joint disease right elbow, degenerative joint disease left wrist, degenerative joint disease right wrist, chronic cervical spine strain, chronic low back pain, degenerative joint disease right hip, degenerative joint disease left hip, degenerative joint disease left knee, degenerative joint disease right knee, degenerative joint disease left ankle, degenerative joint disease right ankle, degenerative joint disease left foot, degenerative joint disease right foot, allergic rhinitis, dyslipidemia, peptic ulcer, colon diverticulos, hiatal hernia, erectile dysfunction, benign prostate hyperplasia, memory disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, major depression

How they argued it

Direct service connection

Exposure basis

None

Rating assigned

None in this decision

Decision date

October 5, 2018

Citation

18140816

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 18140816.