The Veteran's appeal for an increased rating for tinnitus is denied as his disability has already been rated at the maximum allowable level.,Service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied because there is no evidence of a current hearing loss disability for VA purposes during the pendency of this appeal.,Service connection for a right shoulder disorder, headaches, TMJ dysfunction, hypertension, vertigo, and respiratory condition are all denied as there is no persuasive evidence that these conditions were incurred or aggravated by service.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's tinnitus disability has been rated at the maximum allowable level (10%) under Diagnostic Code 6260.,There is no current hearing loss disability for VA purposes during the pendency of this appeal, as evidenced by the absence of threshold shifts in puretone audiometry and speech recognition scores above 94%.,The Veteran's right shoulder disorder, headaches, TMJ dysfunction, hypertension, vertigo, and respiratory condition do not meet the criteria for service connection due to a lack of persuasive evidence linking these conditions to his active-duty service.
- Claimed conditions
- tinnitus, bilateral hearing loss, right shoulder disorder, headaches, TMJ dysfunction, hypertension, vertigo, respiratory condition
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- April 7, 2026
- Citation
- A26031519
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 A26031519.
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: Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection of bilateral hearing loss and a ruptured right ear drum was dismissed due to the death of the Veteran.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's headaches are at least as likely as not caused by his service-connected traumatic brain injury, and thus grants service connection for this condition.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hypertension and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was noted upon entry into active duty service and did not increase in severity during service. Therefore, it denied his claim for service connection.
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