The Veteran's tinnitus began in service and has continued to the present.,Bilateral hearing loss manifested more than one year after separation from service and is not shown to be causally or etiologically related to an in-service event, injury or disease.,The preponderance of the evidence is against finding that the Veteran currently has any current underlying disability or chronic residuals from a leech removed from his left ear in service. The Veteran's current hearing loss and tinnitus are not connected to his time in service.,The preponderance of the evidence is against finding that the Veteran currently has blood poisoning and had blood poisoning in service.,Emphysema manifested more than one year after separation and is not shown to be causally or etiologically related to an in-service event, injury or disease.

The deciding factor: The evidence does not establish a nexus between the Veteran's tinnitus and his time in service. The June 2009 VA examiner found that the Veteran’s current tinnitus was most likely caused by occupational and recreational noise.,The evidence does not establish a nexus between the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and his time in service. The September 2015 VA examiner concluded that the Veteran's hearing loss was less likely than not caused by noise exposure in the service, as there is no chronicity of symptomatology documented within one year of separation.,The evidence does not establish a nexus between the Veteran's left ear condition and his time in service. The September 2015 VA examiner concluded that the Veteran’s current hearing loss was less likely than not caused by noise exposure in the service, as there is no residual effects from the leech removal documented.,The evidence does not establish a nexus between the Veteran's blood poisoning and his time in service. The December 2009 VA examination report concluded that the Veteran’s knuckle wound was 'dirty' and contaminated by oral bacterial flora, resulting in treatment with antibiotics.,The evidence does not establish a nexus between the Veteran's emphysema and his time in service. The June 2009 VA examiner diagnosed the Veteran with emphysema based on an x-ray of his lungs, but did not provide an etiological opinion regarding its onset or relationship to service.

Claimed conditions

tinnitus, bilateral hearing loss, left ear condition (residuals from a leech removed), blood poisoning, emphysema

How they argued it

Direct service connection

Exposure basis

None

Rating assigned

None in this decision

Decision date

October 2, 2019

Citation

19176118

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 19176118.