The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss does not warrant a rating higher than 30 percent, and his residuals of a fracture of the right 4th metacarpal bone with deformity do not meet the criteria for a separate compensable evaluation. The appeal is therefore denied.
The deciding factor: The July 2009 audiometric results supported a noncompensable rating for bilateral hearing loss, and a 30 percent rating under Table VII of VA's Rating Schedule based on the numeric designations from Tables VI and VIA. The residuals of the fracture of the right 4th metacarpal bone with deformity did not meet the criteria for a separate compensable evaluation.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Hearing Loss
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 30%
- Decision date
- December 22, 2009
- Citation
- 0948207
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 0948207.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is granted as service-connected. The claims for alcohol abuse and psychiatric disorder are remanded for additional development, including a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of these conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a need for a new VA examination to assess the current severity of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss. The issue remains under direct service connection theory.
- Denied
The Veteran's hearing loss was rated at 30 percent, the highest non-compensable rating available. The Board found that his hearing loss did not warrant a higher rating based on VA examinations and medical records.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between his current hearing loss and his active service. The Board noted that while he had complaints of earaches in service, these did not indicate a current disability.
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