The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are related to his in-service noise exposure. Service connection was also granted for bruxism as secondary to PTSD, and for peripheral neuropathy of the BLE and BUE due to Agent Orange exposure.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the Veteran had some degree of hearing loss at service entrance and separation, which is consistent with his current diagnoses. The VA examiner opined that the Veteran's bruxism was related to his PTSD, as there was no evidence of a pre-existing condition or other cause for the condition.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Hearing Loss, Tinnitus, Bruxism (Secondary to PTSD), Peripheral Neuropathy of the Bilateral Lower Extremities (BLE) - Secondary to Agent Orange Exposure, Peripheral Neuropathy of the Bilateral Upper Extremities (BUE) - Secondary to Agent Orange Exposure
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 14, 2018
- Citation
- 1815349
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 1815349.
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 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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