The Veteran's claim for an effective date prior to April 9, 2014 for the award of service connection for tinnitus was denied. The Board found that the Veteran did not file a formal or informal claim for this condition within one year after separation from active duty.,The Veteran's claim for a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss is remanded and will require further examination to determine the current nature, extent, and severity of his hearing loss.
The deciding factor: The effective date for an award of service connection cannot be earlier than April 9, 2014 because the Veteran did not file a formal or informal claim for tinnitus within one year after separation from active duty. The VCAA notice requirements were met in March 2008.,A remand is required to obtain updated VA treatment records and clarify the nature of the private audiological evaluation conducted by Hearing Science, as well as schedule the Veteran for a VA audiological examination.
- Claimed conditions
- tinnitus, bilateral hearing loss
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 21, 2019
- Citation
- 19120694
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,772 · Granted: 37% (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 19120694.
What this means for you
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection of bilateral hearing loss and a ruptured right ear drum was dismissed due to the death of the Veteran.
- Denied
The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was noted upon entry into active duty service and did not increase in severity during service. Therefore, it denied his claim for service connection.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hearing loss, tinnitus, and an acquired psychiatric disorder due to incomplete medical records and need for further examination.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus, arthritis, and memory loss. The decision found no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.
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