The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus have been denied as there is no evidence of a current disability in either ear, and the VA examiner found no nexus between his current disabilities and active service.,Service connection for tinnitus has also been denied due to lack of continuity of symptomatology since service. The Veteran's own inconsistent statements regarding when he first experienced tinnitus have not provided sufficient credibility for finding continuity of symptoms.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found no evidence of a current hearing loss disability in the left ear and concluded that the right ear hearing loss is not related to military noise exposure, as it began more than 50 years after service. For tinnitus, the Veteran's own inconsistent statements regarding when he first experienced symptoms have not provided sufficient credibility for finding continuity of symptoms.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 40%
- Decision date
- November 17, 2020
- Citation
- A20017016
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 A20017016.
What this means for you
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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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