The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for right ear hearing loss and increased evaluations for tinnitus and left ear hearing loss, finding that he did not meet the criteria for a hearing loss disability as defined by VA regulations.
The deciding factor: The evidence showed that while the veteran had high frequency sensorineural hearing loss in his right ear, it did not meet the regulatory criteria of 38 C.F.R. § 3.385 for a hearing loss disability. The Board also found that tinnitus was evaluated at its maximum schedular evaluation and that an extraschedular evaluation was not warranted.
- Claimed conditions
- Left ear hearing loss, Right ear hearing loss, Tinnitus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 9, 2003
- Citation
- 0306813
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 0306813.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
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- Partly granted
The Board granted a 20 percent rating for the Veteran's left knee strain, service connection for right ear hearing loss, and service connection for a right ankle disorder. Other claims were denied or remanded.
- Partly granted
The Board granted readjudication of previously denied claims for service connection for PTSD and COPD, while remanding other issues including entitlement to service connection for an eye disorder, hypertension, tinnitus, a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss, TDIU, and an initial rating for PTSD.
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