The Board has granted service connection for right ear hearing loss and left ear hearing loss, finding that the Veteran was exposed to noise during service which aggravated his pre-existing hearing loss.,For tinnitus, the Board found that the Veteran's in-service exposure to noise likely caused his condition.
The deciding factor: The Veteran had a history of noise exposure during service and experienced a shift in hearing thresholds upon separation. The VA examiner opined that this was due to pre-existing hearing loss aggravated by service, meeting the criteria for direct service connection.,The Veteran reported likely acoustic trauma during service and his Maryland CNC speech recognition score indicated current tinnitus. The Board found this evidence sufficient to establish service connection.
- Claimed conditions
- Right ear hearing loss, Left ear hearing loss, Tinnitus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 12, 2021
- Citation
- 21042364
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 21042364.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for a higher rating for PTSD and dismissed his appeals regarding increased ratings for tinnitus and a right hand disability due to lack of timely filing of Notice of Disagreement.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including GAD, MDD, bruxism, migraines/headaches, tinnitus, hip pain, iliotibial band syndrome, and leg stress fractures. The evidence does not support current diagnoses of these conditions during the appeal period.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including bilateral pes planus with hammer toes, hallux valgus and degenerative arthritis, sleep apnea, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and bilateral kidney cysts, rendered him unable to secure or follow gainful employment. The Board granted the TDIU based on these conditions.
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