The Board has determined that the evidence does not support a finding of service connection for bilateral hearing loss or tinnitus. The Appellant's periods of ACDUTRA and INACDUTRA do not show any complaints, treatment, or diagnosis related to these conditions.,For the skin disorder, chronic rhinitis, and sinusitis claims, new opinions are needed as the VA examinations did not differentiate between ACDUTRA and INACDUTRA periods.
The deciding factor: The Board found that there is no evidence of hearing loss or tinnitus during the Appellant's period of service. The July 2017 VA examiner concluded that the bilateral high frequency hearing loss was less likely than not related to military service, and the Appellant’s self-reporting did not support a finding of direct service connection.,For the skin disorder, chronic rhinitis, and sinusitis claims, the Board found that new opinions are needed as the VA examinations did not differentiate between ACDUTRA and INACDUTRA periods. The evidence must be reviewed to determine if there is any link to service.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral hearing loss, Tinnitus, Skin Disorder (dyshidrotic eczema, dishidrosis, and dermatitis), Chronic Rhinitis, Sinusitis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 19, 2019
- Citation
- 19172930
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 19172930.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
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 claim for a low back disorder was reopened, and his claims for increased ratings of bilateral knee instability were granted. His hearing loss claim was denied.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for a higher rating for PTSD and dismissed his appeals regarding increased ratings for tinnitus and a right hand disability due to lack of timely filing of Notice of Disagreement.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including GAD, MDD, bruxism, migraines/headaches, tinnitus, hip pain, iliotibial band syndrome, and leg stress fractures. The evidence does not support current diagnoses of these conditions during the appeal period.
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