The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding no evidence of a nexus between the conditions and active service. The Veteran's current hearing loss was not shown to be related to his military service.,Service connection for chronic lung disease due to asbestos exposure is also denied as there is no evidence that the condition began during or is otherwise related to service.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the Veteran did not have a current disability of bilateral hearing loss or tinnitus that was incurred in service, and thus could not establish service connection for these conditions.,There was also no evidence linking the Veteran's chronic lung disease to his military service. The condition is presumed to be due to asbestos exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Hearing Loss, Tinnitus, Chronic Lung Disease, as due to asbestos exposure
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 18, 2020
- Citation
- 20041566
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 20041566.
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are not related to his military service.
- Granted
The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is granted as service-connected. The claims for alcohol abuse and psychiatric disorder are remanded for additional development, including a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of these conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a need for a new VA examination to assess the current severity of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss. The issue remains under direct service connection theory.
- Denied
The Veteran's hearing loss was rated at 30 percent, the highest non-compensable rating available. The Board found that his hearing loss did not warrant a higher rating based on VA examinations and medical records.
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