The veteran's claims for increased ratings for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss and bilateral tinnitus were denied as there is no legal basis to assign a higher rating.
The deciding factor: The veteran's service-connected conditions do not meet the criteria for an increased rating under the applicable VA rating schedule, and there are no provisions allowing for separate evaluations of each ear for tinnitus.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Sensorineural Hearing Loss, Bilateral Tinnitus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- August 11, 2006
- Citation
- 0624444
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 0624444.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board denied a compensable rating for allergic rhinitis, service connection for chronic sinusitis and bilateral tinnitus, granted a 50 percent initial rating for PTSD, and remanded the claims for an increased rating for PTSD and service connection for a somatic disorder.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the issue of entitlement to service connection for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss due to a duty to assist error regarding an incomplete medical opinion.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss as the evidence did not support a finding of a nexus between the Veteran's current condition and his military service.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for major depressive disorder, bilateral hearing loss, and bilateral tinnitus. The claims for diabetes mellitus, type II; gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD); hypertension; and cerebrovascular accident residuals were remanded.
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