The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, a left leg fracture, and a skin condition, to include acrochordon, as the weight of the evidence does not support a finding that these conditions are related to the Veteran's military service.
The deciding factor: The VA examiners found no significant threshold shifts during active duty service and noted that the onset of hearing loss and tinnitus occurred several years after discharge. The Board also considered the Veteran's lay statements but found them inconsistent with his STRs and post-service medical examinations.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral hearing loss, Tinnitus, Left leg fracture, Skin condition, to include acrochordon
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 4, 2021
- Citation
- 21061582
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, as there was no evidence of a current disability in the right ear and insufficient evidence to establish a nexus between the left ear hearing loss and service.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's conditions are related to in-service noise exposure.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the matter for a medical clarification regarding whether the Veteran's service-connected epilepsy has aggravated his bilateral hearing loss.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss to obtain an addendum opinion addressing the Veteran's lay statements regarding in-service acoustic trauma and a rocket blast injury.
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