The Veteran's tinnitus was granted service connection as it is presumed to be related to in-service noise exposure. Service connection for bilateral hearing loss, sleep apnea, and erectile dysfunction were denied due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to service or the applicable presumptive periods. The Veteran's chronic ingrown toenail issue remains pending.
The deciding factor: The Veteran reported continuous tinnitus since service, which was confirmed by VA examination. Service connection for tinnitus is granted based on in-service noise exposure and continuity of symptoms post-service.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Hearing Loss, Chronic Ingrown Toenail, Erectile Dysfunction, Sleep Apnea, Tinnitus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 23, 2019
- Citation
- 19140011
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,242 · Granted: 24% (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 19140011.
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.
- 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 Board denied service connection for sleep apnea, finding that the evidence did not support a link between the condition and service.
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