The Veteran's Meniere’s Disease was not incurred in or due to his time in service, and the claim is denied.,The Veteran does not have hearing loss in his left ear for VA purposes, and the claim for bilateral hearing loss is denied.,Tinnitus was incurred in and due to the Veteran's time in service, and the claim is granted.
The deciding factor: Based on the evidence, including the lack of a diagnosis of Meniere’s Disease during service and no link between current symptoms and service, the Board finds that the condition was not incurred or aggravated by service.,The Veteran's hearing loss for VA purposes is only in his right ear, and there is no established link to service. The examiner noted that the Veteran did not have hearing trouble while in service and that any hearing loss is unrelated to service-connected conditions.,The Veteran reported noise exposure during service, and tinnitus was observed as a symptom of Meniere’s Disease. While the examiner found it less likely than not due to noise exposure, they conceded the Veteran's exposure and noted his history of tinnitus independently of his headache symptoms.
- Claimed conditions
- Meniere’s Disease, Bilateral Hearing Loss, Tinnitus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 19, 2020
- Citation
- 20041905
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 20041905.
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.
- 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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