The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are found to be related to service. The Board has granted service connection for these conditions.,Service connection is also granted for an acquired psychiatric disability, including PTSD, as well as a left shoulder disability, back disability, skin cancer, and kidney disability (claimed as kidney stones) due to diabetes.
The deciding factor: The VA examinations provided credible evidence of in-service acoustic trauma leading to current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus.,The Veteran's statements regarding the onset of his psychiatric symptoms during service are considered credible. The VA examiner found that it is at least as likely as not that any acquired psychiatric disability, including PTSD, was incurred or aggravated by active duty.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, an acquired psychiatric disability to include PTSD, sleep apnea, left shoulder disability, back disability, skin cancer, kidney disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 29, 2019
- Citation
- 19181455
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the issue of entitlement to service connection for a back disability due to a duty to assist error, specifically regarding VA's failure to provide the Veteran with a VA examination prior to the rating decision.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including prostate cancer and related disabilities, urinary incontinence, sleep apnea, hypertension, varicose veins, lumbar spine disability, hip arthritis, shoulder arthritis, ankle arthritis, knee strain, knee replacement, and hand arthritis. The only condition granted was a 10 percent rating for a fracture of the right proximal first metacarpal.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for tinnitus to correct a duty to assist error, as the Veteran's lay statements regarding onset and continuity of symptoms were not adequately considered in the previous decision.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew the appeals for service connection for bilateral pes planus, obstructive sleep apnea, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.