The Board has determined that the veteran does not currently suffer from bilateral hearing loss disability for VA compensation purposes and therefore, service connection for this condition is denied.
The deciding factor: The audiometric results at the time of separation from service did not meet the regulatory requirements for establishing a 'disability' at that time. The Board finds no competent evidence of current hearing loss disability as defined for VA compensation purposes.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss, lumbar spine disorder (claimed as lumbosacral strain), chronic respiratory disorder (claimed as chronic bronchitis/residuals of pneumonia), chronic sinusitis/rhinitis, residuals of left upper back/neck trauma (claimed as cervical and thoracic spine disability), left shoulder disorder, bilateral knee disorder, chronic headaches, facial acne
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 30, 2003
- Citation
- 0336549
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 0336549.
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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral hearing loss, migraine headaches, and PTSD due to additional development of records and examination.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss claim, specifically needing an addendum opinion from a VA examiner. The Veteran will be asked to provide any missing records and former employers' information.
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