The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and an increased evaluation for his left shoulder disability. The Board found that there was no evidence of a permanent increase in hearing acuity during service, and thus the presumption of aggravation did not apply. For the left shoulder disability, the VA examiner opined that the pre-existing condition likely worsened due to noise exposure during service.
The deciding factor: The veteran's pre-existing bilateral hearing loss at entry into service was not aggravated by military service as there was no evidence of a permanent increase in acuity during service.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss, acromioclavicular separation of the left shoulder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 27, 2007
- Citation
- 0708910
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 0708910.
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection of bilateral hearing loss and a ruptured right ear drum was dismissed due to the death of the Veteran.
- Denied
The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was noted upon entry into active duty service and did not increase in severity during service. Therefore, it denied his claim for service connection.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral hearing loss, migraine headaches, and PTSD due to additional development of records and examination.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss claim, specifically needing an addendum opinion from a VA examiner. The Veteran will be asked to provide any missing records and former employers' information.
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