The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is denied as it did not manifest to a compensable degree within one year of separation from service and the weight of evidence does not support a finding that it is related to in-service acoustic trauma.,The Veteran's left shoulder labral tear is denied as there is no credible medical evidence or opinions linking the condition to active service. The examiner opined that the injury was more likely than not a recent injury, not caused many years prior by active service.,The Veteran's right shoulder labral tear is denied for similar reasons: lack of in-service injury and insufficient medical evidence connecting it to active service.,The Veteran's tinnitus is rated at 10 percent as the highest schedular rating available. The Board found that referral for extraschedular consideration was not warranted due to no marked interference with employment or frequent periods of hospitalization.,The Veteran's gastro-intestinal undiagnosed illness is currently rated at 30 percent under Diagnostic Code 7319, which is the highest schedular rating available. The Board found that referral for extraschedular consideration was not warranted due to no marked interference with employment or frequent periods of hospitalization.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's claims are denied as there is insufficient medical evidence linking his current conditions to active service.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral hearing loss, Left shoulder labral tear, Right shoulder labral tear, Tinnitus, Gastrointestinal undiagnosed illness
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 6, 2019
- Citation
- 19116373
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,500 · Granted: 29% (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 19116373.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
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 claim for a low back disorder was reopened, and his claims for increased ratings of bilateral knee instability were granted. His hearing loss claim was denied.
- 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.
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