The Board granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and hypertension based on credible evidence of in-service noise exposure and onset of symptoms.
The deciding factor: The Board found the Veteran's lay statements regarding the onset of hearing difficulty and tinnitus to be credible and consistent with his reported duties during military service. The private medical opinion provided a positive nexus between the conditions and in-service noise exposure, which was corroborated by the conceded in-service noise exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral hearing loss, Tinnitus, Hypertension
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 100%
- Decision date
- May 21, 2025
- Citation
- A25045798
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 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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus type II and hypertension, to include as secondary to left orchiectomy, for further development in accordance with the PACT Act.
- 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.
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