The Board granted service connection for right ear hearing loss, finding that it was aggravated during active military service. Service connection for left ear hearing loss was denied as it was determined to have preexisted service and there was no evidence of an increase in severity.
The deciding factor: Significant threshold shifts were noted at 2000-4000 Hertz in the right ear, which is not considered a natural progression of hearing loss. The hearing loss could have progressed in extent after 1980 due to continued exposure to service noise exposure and civilian work.
- Claimed conditions
- right ear hearing loss, left ear hearing loss
- How they argued it
- Aggravation of a pre-existing condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 100%
- Decision date
- March 23, 2009
- Citation
- 0910793
What this means for you
A partial grant means some issues were granted while others were denied or remanded — common in multi-issue claims. Look at which issues went which way, and how each was argued.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Dismissed
The appeal for a compensable rating for left ear hearing loss, service connection for right ear hearing loss, and bilateral vision condition was dismissed. Service connection for hypertension, congestive heart failure, and coronary artery disease was denied.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 20 percent disability rating for left and right lower extremity radiculopathy from April 3, 2023 onward, but denied higher ratings prior to that date. Service connection was also granted for alcohol use disorder as secondary to PTSD with traumatic brain injury.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection of left ear hearing loss due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error, as an addendum opinion is necessary to address evidence of in-service hearing loss and convert audiometric testing results from ASA to ISO-ANSI standards.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for right ear hearing loss, resolving reasonable doubt in the Veteran's favor based on a finding of etiological relation to in-service noise exposure.
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