The Board has reopened the claim for service connection for bilateral defective hearing due to new and material evidence submitted by the veteran. The issue is whether the veteran's current hearing loss can be linked to his military service, including noise exposure during boot camp in 1968.
The deciding factor: New evidence supports a diagnosis of bilateral neurosensory hearing loss dating back to the early 1970s and suggests that the claimant had an objectively measurable worsening of hearing acuity during active service.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral defective hearing
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 21, 2003
- Citation
- 0305372
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 673 · Granted: 27% (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 0305372.
What this means for you
A partial grant means some issues were granted while others were denied or remanded — common in multi-issue claims. Look at which issues went which way, and how each was argued.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Board has granted the readjudication of the claims for service connection for bilateral defective hearing and tinnitus, as new and relevant evidence was received.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him so helpless as to be in need of regular aid and attendance of another person throughout the period on appeal, warranting SMC based on the need for aid and attendance.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for his service-connected bilateral defective hearing was denied as he failed to report for scheduled VA examinations without providing good cause.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for higher ratings on bilateral defective hearing and left ankle injury residuals, as well as his claims for special monthly compensation based on a need for aid and attendance or due to being housebound, and eligibility for a grant for specially adapted housing or special home adaptation have been dismissed due to the death of the appellant.
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