The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, back disorder, blood disorder (claimed as myelofibrosis and myeloproliferative disorder), and pruritus are all granted service connection. The Board found the evidence at least in equipoise to support these claims.
The deciding factor: The Board determined that the Veteran's statements regarding his exposure to hazardous noise were credible, and there was a significant tonal threshold shift during service which supported service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus. For the back disorder, the Board found the evidence at least in equipoise to support service connection due to in-service complaints of pain and post-service treatment records indicating causation. The blood disorder was conceded as related to exposure to hazardous chemicals and non-ionizing radiation, with supporting private opinions. Service connection for pruritus was granted based on its relationship to the Veteran's blood disorder.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, back disorder, blood disorder (claimed as myelofibrosis and myeloproliferative disorder), pruritus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 25, 2019
- Citation
- 19149622
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,948 · 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 19149622.
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.
- 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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to the need for additional development, including obtaining SSA records and providing proper notice regarding secondary service connection.
- 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.
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