The Board denied a compensable evaluation for defective hearing in the left ear, finding that the evidence did not meet the criteria for such an evaluation.
The deciding factor: The veteran's hearing impairment was evaluated using VA rating criteria and found to be noncompensable under Diagnostic Code 6100 due to the exceptional pattern of hearing loss in his left ear. The Board noted that while the veteran reported difficulty hearing, his statements were not competent evidence for establishing entitlement to a higher disability evaluation.
- Claimed conditions
- Defective hearing in the left ear
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- June 2, 2006
- Citation
- 0615985
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,377 · Granted: 17% (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 0615985.
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: Denied
The Board has determined that new and material evidence has not been submitted to reopen the claim of service connection for defective hearing in the left ear, as there is no competent medical evidence relating current hearing loss to service.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's defective hearing in the left ear and tinnitus are at least as likely as not related to exposure to acoustic trauma during military service, and thus grants service connection for these conditions.
- Whole decision: Denied
The VA determined that the veteran's left ear hearing loss does not meet the criteria for a compensable evaluation.
- Whole decision: Dismissed
The appeal was dismissed due to the death of the appellant.
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