The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for hearing loss of the right ear and an initial evaluation greater than 10 percent for tinnitus, effective from November 22, 2000. The claim for a compensable initial evaluation for hearing loss of the left ear was granted but not with an increased rating.
The deciding factor: The VA audiological examinations did not find any evidence linking the veteran's current bilateral hearing loss to his military service, including a specific incident in which he claimed acoustic trauma occurred. The Board found that there was no medical basis for granting service connection for these conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- Hearing loss of the right ear, Hearing loss of the left ear
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 28, 2005
- Citation
- 0534951
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 0534951.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has found that a remand is necessary due to the Veteran's assertion of worsening hearing loss. The case will be returned for further development, including scheduling a VA examination and obtaining any outstanding medical records.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to an inadequate nexus opinion regarding the Veteran's hearing loss of the right ear, which may still be related to service despite no hearing loss at separation.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for hearing loss of the right ear is denied.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for degenerative joint disease of the SI joint is remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for hearing loss of the left ear due to an inadequate VA examination.
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