The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his exposure to noise during service, and thus granted service connection for these conditions.,For his back problems, the Board found that the Veteran's current condition is at least as likely as not related to his in-service injury while loading bombs on a ship.
The deciding factor: The evidence supports the conclusion that the Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus are due to noise exposure during service. The VA examinations, including those from October 2014 and February 2019, supported this finding.,Regarding his back problems, the Board found credible the Veteran's account of an in-service injury while loading bombs on a ship, which led to ongoing pain.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Hearing Loss, Tinnitus, Back Problems
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 15, 2021
- Citation
- A21016815
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 A21016815.
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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