The Board has determined that new and material evidence has not been submitted to reopen the claim of service connection for defective hearing in the left ear, as there is no competent medical evidence relating current hearing loss to service.
The deciding factor: The VA audiologist's opinion concluded that the Veteran's current hearing loss in the left ear was not related to his exposure to acoustic trauma in service and did not meet criteria for a threshold shift sufficient to support a finding of defective hearing for VA purposes under Hensley v. Brown, 5 Vet. App. 155 (1993).
- Claimed conditions
- Defective hearing in the left ear
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 21, 2009
- Citation
- 0939949
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 0939949.
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.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's defective hearing in the left ear and tinnitus are at least as likely as not related to exposure to acoustic trauma during military service, and thus grants service connection for these conditions.
- Denied
The VA determined that the veteran's left ear hearing loss does not meet the criteria for a compensable evaluation.
- Dismissed
The appeal was dismissed due to the death of the appellant.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the veteran's claims for service connection for various disabilities, including those claimed as due to herbicide exposure and secondary to radiation treatment for a service-connected condition.
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