The Board granted service connection for tinnitus and restored the 20% rating for a lumbar spine disability. The claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss was denied.
The deciding factor: The evidence supported a direct link between the Veteran's in-service noise exposure and his current tinnitus, but did not establish a diagnosis of bilateral hearing loss for VA purposes. The reduction in the evaluation of the lumbar spine disability from 20% to 10% was improper due to lack of actual improvement.
- Claimed conditions
- tinnitus, bilateral hearing loss, lumbar spine disability (degenerative arthritis, degenerative disc disease, foraminal stenosis)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 9, 2025
- Citation
- A25087704
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