The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is granted as it was caused by in-service noise exposure.,Service connection for tinnitus is granted as the Veteran has a current condition that manifested during service and continues to this day.,Left Achilles' tendonitis is granted as the Veteran had an injury in service, which resulted in continuous symptoms since then.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's hearing loss was caused by noise exposure during service, leading to threshold shifts on separation audiometric testing. The current condition meets VA criteria for sensorineural hearing loss and is presumed due to military service.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Hearing Loss, Tinnitus, Achilles' tendonitis, left ankle (claimed as left foot injury)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 21, 2022
- Citation
- A22026032
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 A22026032.
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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