The veteran's claim for service connection for hearing loss of the left ear was denied as there is no current disability in that ear. The initial compensable rating for right ear hearing loss was also denied.
The deciding factor: The evidence failed to establish a current hearing disability in the left ear, and the veteran's right ear hearing loss did not meet the criteria for a compensable rating.
- Claimed conditions
- Hearing loss of the left ear, Hearing loss of the right ear
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 19, 2008
- Citation
- 0816453
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,020 · Granted: 19% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted 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. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 0816453.
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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