New and material evidence has been received to reopen the claims for left ear hearing loss and tinnitus. The Veteran's pre-existing hearing loss is not considered aggravated by service.,The claims of entitlement to service connection for left ear hearing loss, right ear hearing loss, and tinnitus are remanded.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's pre-existing left ear hearing loss was not aggravated beyond normal progression during his military service. The VA examiner provided an opinion that the condition did not worsen due to service exposure.,Further evaluation is needed to determine if there is any aggravation of the Veteran’s pre-existing conditions or if new evidence supports a finding of service connection.
- Claimed conditions
- left ear hearing loss, tinnitus
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- May 16, 2019
- Citation
- 19138040
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 317 · Granted: 19% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed 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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 19138040.
What this means for you
A partial grant means some issues were granted while others were denied or remanded — common in multi-issue claims. Look at which issues went which way, and how each was argued.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: 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.
- Whole decision: 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.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as service connected. The issues of foot disability and cardiovascular disorder are remanded for additional development.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, finding that it is at least as likely as not that the Veteran experienced tinnitus during his active duty service.
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