The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are at least as likely as not related to his periods of active-duty service.,Service connection is also granted for OSA, with a remand required due to inadequate medical opinion addressing whether the condition was first diagnosed after service.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the Veteran's current hearing loss and tinnitus are at least as likely as not related to his periods of active-duty service based on evidence of acoustic trauma during service.,For OSA, the Board noted that while a remand is required due to inadequate medical opinion, the condition was first diagnosed after service. The claim will be further developed to determine if there is any relationship between the Veteran's service-connected disabilities and his gastrointestinal disability.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Hearing Loss, Tinnitus, Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), Gastrointestinal Disability, to include gastritis and GERD
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 14, 2023
- Citation
- 23039041
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 23039041.
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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