The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a left ear hearing disability that is the result of disease or injury incurred in or aggravated by active military service.
The deciding factor: The VA audiologist specifically opined that it was unlikely that the veteran's current left ear hearing loss began during military service, given normal findings on multiple in-service examinations after May 1987 and the uncontradicted medical opinion from the VA audiologist.
- Claimed conditions
- left ear hearing disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- February 10, 2006
- Citation
- 0603993
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,458 · Granted: 24% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed 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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 0603993.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for left ear hearing disability and an initial compensable rating for right ear hearing loss due to duty to assist errors. The issues are inextricably intertwined, so both must be addressed together.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to an inadequate VA examination, and a new medical opinion is needed regarding whether the Veteran's preexisting left ear hearing loss increased in severity during active service.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board found that the Veteran does not have a current hearing disability in his left ear for VA purposes, and thus denied service connection.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional records related to hearing tests and job applications. The claim will be reconsidered after these records are obtained.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.