Citation Nr: A21020670 Decision Date: 12/30/21 Archive Date: 12/30/21 DOCKET NO. 200616-91554 DATE: December 30, 2021 ORDER Entitlement to service connection for tinnitus is granted. FINDING OF FACT Tinnitus originated during active service. CONCLUSION OF LAW The criteria for entitlement to service connection for tinnitus have been met. 38 U.S.C. §§ 1110, 5107; 38 C.F.R. §§ 3.102, 3.303. REASONS AND BASES FOR FINDING AND CONCLUSION The Veteran had active service from September 1966 through August 1969. In August 2019, the Agency of Original Jurisdiction denied service connection for tinnitus. In October 2019, the Veteran submitted a Request for Higher-Level Review, VA Form 20-0996. In May 2020, the Agency of Original Jurisdiction again denied service connection for tinnitus. In his June 2020 Decision Review Request: Board Appeal (Notice of Disagreement), VA Form 10182, the Veteran elected the Direct Review docket. Therefore, the Board of Veterans' Appeals (Board) may only consider the evidence of record at the time of the August 2019 Agency of Original Jurisdiction rating decision. 38 C.F.R. § 20.301. Service Connection for Tinnitus The Veteran asserts that service connection for tinnitus is warranted as the diagnosed disability was manifested during active service as the result of the noise exposure associated with the Veteran's military duties as an aircraft engine repairman. The accredited representative clarified that the tinnitus was present at least minimally during active service even though the Veteran did not know the nature of the disability. The service treatment records do not refer to tinnitus or ringing of the ears. The service personnel records show that the Veteran was an aircraft engine repairman. Therefore, the Board acknowledges that the Veteran was exposed to aircraft engine noise during service. (Continued on the next page) The report of a September 2019 auditory examination conducted for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) states that the Veteran reported the "onset of tinnitus about 15 or 20 years ago." The Veteran was diagnosed with tinnitus. The Board finds that the evidence is in at least equipoise as to whether the diagnosed tinnitus arose during active service. The Veteran served as an aircraft engine repairman; was exposed to aircraft engine noise; reported probably experiencing at least minimal tinnitus during active service after such noise exposure; and has been diagnosed with tinnitus on VA examination. The Veteran is competent to report that tinnitus was present in service and that it has existed from service to the present. 38 C.F.R. § 3.159 (a)(2); Jandreau v. Nicholson, 492 F.3d 1372 (Fed. Cir. 2007); Charles v. Principi, 16 Vet. App. 370 (2002). Resolving all reasonable doubt in the Veteran's favor, the Board concludes that service connection is warranted for tinnitus. 38 U.S.C. § 5107; 38 C.F.R. § 3.102. J. T. HUTCHESON Veterans Law Judge Board of Veterans' Appeals Attorney for the Board T. C. KING The Board's decision in this case is binding only with respect to the instant matter decided. This decision is not precedential and does not establish VA policies or interpretations of general applicability. 38 C.F.R. § 20.1303.