The Veteran was granted service connection for tinnitus, but denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss. The Board found that the Veteran's tinnitus is related to his active service and conceded noise exposure in service, while finding no evidence of bilateral hearing loss within one year of separation or due to service.
The deciding factor: The January 2019 VA examiner concluded that the Veteran’s bilateral hearing loss was less likely than not related to an in-service injury, event, or disease. The examiner noted that there is no scientific basis on which to conclude that a hearing loss that appeared many years after noise exposure could be causally related to that noise exposure if hearing was normal immediately after the exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- tinnitus, bilateral hearing loss
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 21, 2020
- Citation
- A20009174
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 A20009174.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
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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