The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and a low back disorder due to lack of evidence showing current disability in the right ear as defined by VA regulations.
The deciding factor: VA regulations require that a current hearing loss disability be demonstrated before service connection can be granted. The May 2003 VA audiologist's report did not show a hearing deficit of the degree required for a grant of service connection, and thus the veteran does not have a current hearing loss disability in the right ear as defined by regulation.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Hearing Loss, Tinnitus, Low Back Disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 11, 2005
- Citation
- 0521754
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 0521754.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are not related to his military service.
- Granted
The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is granted as service-connected. The claims for alcohol abuse and psychiatric disorder are remanded for additional development, including a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of these conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a need for a new VA examination to assess the current severity of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss. The issue remains under direct service connection theory.
- Denied
The Veteran's hearing loss was rated at 30 percent, the highest non-compensable rating available. The Board found that his hearing loss did not warrant a higher rating based on VA examinations and medical records.
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