The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were not shown as chronic in service or within a presumptive period, did not manifest to a compensable degree within a presumptive period, and were not noted in service with attributable continuity of symptomatology. The Board found that the Veteran’s hearing loss and tinnitus are less likely related to an in-service injury, event, or disease, including reported inservice noise exposure.,The Veteran's adjustment disorder with depressed mood is rated at 30 percent under Diagnostic Code 9440 due to symptoms such as flattened affect, difficulty understanding complex commands, impairment of short and long-term memory, impaired judgment, disturbances of motivation and mood, and difficulty establishing effective relationships.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus were not shown as chronic in service or within a presumptive period, did not manifest to a compensable degree within a presumptive period, and were not noted in service with attributable continuity of symptomatology.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Hearing Loss, Tinnitus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 15, 2019
- Citation
- 19137901
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,456 · 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 19137901.
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 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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