The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have current hearing loss disability for VA purposes, and therefore cannot establish service connection.,The Veteran's tinnitus was diagnosed many years after separation from service, and the VA examiner opined it is less likely than not related to in-service acoustic trauma.
The deciding factor: Current evidence of a hearing loss disability for VA purposes is lacking, and there is no medical opinion linking the Veteran’s tinnitus to service.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Hearing Loss, Tinnitus, Sleep Apnea, Diabetes Mellitus, Type II
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- September 13, 2019
- Citation
- 19171183
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 19171183.
What this means for you
A remand sends an issue back for more development, often a new examination or missing records. It does not award the benefit or decide the final outcome. The original decision explains the additional work ordered.
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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