The Veteran's right ear hearing loss is not service-connected as it did not occur during his active duty and there is no evidence of noise exposure that could have caused the condition.,Service connection for tinnitus has been granted. The Veteran reported experiencing tinnitus since military service, but VA examiners determined it was less likely related to noise exposure in service.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's STRs did not show any hearing loss or tinnitus during his active duty period and the audiologists concluded that the current conditions are not causally related to service due to lack of evidence of noise exposure.,VA examiners determined that the Veteran’s tinnitus is less likely caused by military noise exposure, but it was granted as a result of the Veteran's report of experiencing tinnitus since his time in service.
- Claimed conditions
- Right ear hearing loss, Status post total left knee arthroplasty (left knee disability), Status post total right knee arthroplasty (right knee disability), Tinnitus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 18, 2019
- Citation
- A19002096
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,810 · Granted: 23% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 A19002096.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for a higher rating for PTSD and dismissed his appeals regarding increased ratings for tinnitus and a right hand disability due to lack of timely filing of Notice of Disagreement.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including GAD, MDD, bruxism, migraines/headaches, tinnitus, hip pain, iliotibial band syndrome, and leg stress fractures. The evidence does not support current diagnoses of these conditions during the appeal period.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including bilateral pes planus with hammer toes, hallux valgus and degenerative arthritis, sleep apnea, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and bilateral kidney cysts, rendered him unable to secure or follow gainful employment. The Board granted the TDIU based on these conditions.
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