The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are granted as service-connected.,The Veteran's GERD is denied as not being related to his service or any service-connected conditions.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found that the Veteran’s current bilateral hearing loss was caused by acoustic trauma during service, and therefore granted service connection for this condition. The VA examiner also found that the Veteran's tinnitus was caused by acoustic trauma during service.,VA treatment records did not show any evidence of GERD prior to 2018, and the VA examiners opined that it is less likely than not that the Veteran’s current GERD condition is related to his PTSD or medications prescribed for his PTSD.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Hearing Loss, Tinnitus, Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 16, 2020
- Citation
- 20060974
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 20060974.
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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