The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus on a presumptive basis due to exposure to acoustic trauma during service. However, the claim for bilateral hearing loss disability was denied as there is no evidence of in-service noise exposure and the Veteran's current hearing loss cannot be linked to his military service.
The deciding factor: The VA audiologist found that the Veteran did not have a threshold shift in his hearing acuity during service and denied hearing loss when examined by VA in 2010, making it less likely than not that his current bilateral hearing loss disability is due to military noise exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- tinnitus, bilateral hearing loss disability
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 25, 2022
- Citation
- 22031009
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 22031009.
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.
- 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.
- Granted
The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as service connected. The issues of foot disability and cardiovascular disorder are remanded for additional development.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, finding that it is at least as likely as not that the Veteran experienced tinnitus during his active duty service.
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