The Board denied service connection for eustachian tube dysfunction (ETD) as the evidence did not support a finding that it began during active service or was otherwise related to an in-service injury, event, or disease.
The deciding factor: The evidence of record persuasively weighed against finding that the Veteran's ETD began during active service or is otherwise related to an in-service injury, event, or disease, including noise exposure and toxic exposure risk activities (TERA).
- Claimed conditions
- eustachian tube dysfunction (ETD)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 16, 2025
- Citation
- A25089484
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,797 · Granted: 20% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 A25089484.
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date and remanded the issue of entitlement to a compensable rating for eustachian tube dysfunction.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and eustachian tube dysfunction (ETD) as there is no current disability of these conditions during the appeal period, and the evidence does not support a finding that they are related to military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claim for benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) to include as secondary to bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, eustachian tube dysfunction (ETD), and chronic nonsuppurative otitis media due to a Joint Motion for Partial Remand (JMPR). The JMPR requires a new VA examination and medical opinion regarding the relationship of BPPV to service-connected conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for eustachian tube dysfunction (ETD) and chronic nonsuppurative otitis media. The Veteran's private DBQs indicate a diagnosis of ETD, which was officially diagnosed in 2006. The VA examiner opined that this condition is less likely than not incurred in or caused by service.
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