The Board found that the veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss and chronic otitis media of the left ear did not meet the criteria for a compensable rating based on the audiometric test results.
The deciding factor: The objective medical evidence showed no worse than Level I hearing loss in the right ear and Level IV (VI) hearing loss in the left ear, which do not warrant a compensable rating. For the chronic otitis media of the left ear, there was no evidence of suppuration or aural polyps.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss, chronic otitis media of the left ear
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 15, 2009
- Citation
- 0901729
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.
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- Denied
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- Partly granted
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- Granted
The Board granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding it at least as likely as not related to the Veteran's in-service noise exposure.
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