The Board denied the veteran's claims for a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss, service connection for tinnitus, and remanded the claims for service connection for a left foot condition and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) due to insufficient evidence.
The deciding factor: The evidence of record does not support a current diagnosis of tinnitus or a relationship between the veteran's left foot condition and his military service. The Board also found that there was an insufficient duty-to-assist error for PTSD, necessitating further development.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral hearing loss, Tinnitus, Left foot condition, Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 8, 2025
- Citation
- A25058448
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for PTSD, resolving reasonable doubt in the Veteran's favor and finding that his PTSD is related to an in-service military sexual trauma (MST) during a period of ACDUTRA.
- 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.
- 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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