The Veteran's claim for service connection for a right foot disability is denied as there is no evidence of an in-service injury or disease that caused the current condition.,Service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus are also denied. The Board found that the Veteran did not have these conditions during service, nor can they be presumed to have developed within one year after separation from service.,The Veteran's claims for tinnitus were denied as there is no credible evidence of its onset in service or a relationship to noise exposure.
The deciding factor: There was no mention of the claimed injury in the service records, and the Veteran did not provide credible statements regarding when he first experienced symptoms.,The March 2019 VA examiner concluded that there is no evidence linking the current hearing loss or tinnitus to service. The Veteran's hearing was normal at discharge, and there were no mentions of these conditions in his service records.,The Veteran reported inconsistent onset dates for tinnitus, which made it difficult to establish a connection to service.
- Claimed conditions
- Right Foot Disability, Bilateral Hearing Loss Disability, Tinnitus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- March 12, 2026
- Citation
- A26022783
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation A26022783.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: 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.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for a higher rating for PTSD and dismissed his appeals regarding increased ratings for tinnitus and a right hand disability due to lack of timely filing of Notice of Disagreement.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including GAD, MDD, bruxism, migraines/headaches, tinnitus, hip pain, iliotibial band syndrome, and leg stress fractures. The evidence does not support current diagnoses of these conditions during the appeal period.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including bilateral pes planus with hammer toes, hallux valgus and degenerative arthritis, sleep apnea, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and bilateral kidney cysts, rendered him unable to secure or follow gainful employment. The Board granted the TDIU based on these conditions.
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