The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus and denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and plantar fasciitis. Service connection was granted for tinnitus due to the Veteran's competent lay statements regarding his in-service noise exposure and current symptoms. However, service connection was not granted for bilateral hearing loss or plantar fasciitis as there is no evidence of a nexus between these conditions and service.
The deciding factor: The Board found that while the Veteran had significant noise exposure during service, this did not result in any permanent positive threshold shift at any frequency upon separation from service. The VA examiner opined that the current hearing loss disability was not related to service due to lack of continuity of symptoms post-service and no evidence of a nexus between service and current hearing loss.
- Claimed conditions
- tinnitus, bilateral hearing loss, plantar fasciitis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 0%
- Decision date
- November 15, 2022
- Citation
- A22022977
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 A22022977.
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection of bilateral hearing loss and a ruptured right ear drum was dismissed due to the death of the Veteran.
- Denied
The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was noted upon entry into active duty service and did not increase in severity during service. Therefore, it denied his claim for service connection.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hearing loss, tinnitus, and an acquired psychiatric disorder due to incomplete medical records and need for further examination.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus, arthritis, and memory loss. The decision found no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.
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