The Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus is granted. The Board finds that the evidence is at least in equipoise that the Veteran’s tinnitus was caused by in-service noise exposure and grants service connection for this condition. However, the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is remanded due to inadequate medical opinion.
The deciding factor: The VA audiologist did not provide a nexus opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss as it was based on an assumption that the Veteran had 31 years of post-service occupational industrial noise exposure, which contradicts his testimony. The Board finds this opinion to be inadequate and remands for a new opinion.
- Claimed conditions
- tinnitus, bilateral hearing loss
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 6, 2019
- Citation
- 19169210
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 19169210.
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
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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