The Board denied service connection for tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's tinnitus is not related to his military service due to a lack of evidence of hearing impairment or ringing in the ears during service and no significant permanent shift in hearing thresholds greater than normal measurement variability from entrance to separation.,Service connection was also denied for an acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD), as there was no objective evidence that the Veteran experienced significant distress while in service, and his current diagnosis does not meet DSM criteria related to military service. The Board found that the Veteran's sleep impairment is less likely than not caused by or related to his time in service.
The deciding factor: The preponderance of the evidence did not support a finding that any of the conditions were incurred or aggravated during service.
- Claimed conditions
- tinnitus, an acquired psychiatric disorder (including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)), a chronic disability manifested by sleep impairment
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 21, 2020
- Citation
- 20027796
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 20027796.
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.
- 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.
- Granted
The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as service connected. The issues of foot disability and cardiovascular disorder are remanded for additional development.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, finding that it is at least as likely as not that the Veteran experienced tinnitus during his active duty service.
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