The Board denied service connection for right and left ear hearing loss disabilities, finding that the appellant's hearing did not meet VA's disability criteria at separation from active service. The Board also found no medical evidence attributing any current hearing loss to hyperbaric chamber training in service.
The deciding factor: VA rating authorities must evaluate available testimony, clinical data, diagnoses, and any medical opinions relevant to the issue. In this case, there is no medically sound basis to attribute a right ear hearing loss to hyperbaric chamber training in service.
- Claimed conditions
- Right ear hearing loss disability, Left ear hearing loss disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 28, 2010
- Citation
- 1019958
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 1019958.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a compensable rating for right ear hearing loss disability due to unreliable and inconsistent responses during audiometric testing.
- Partly granted
The Board denied the claims for an initial compensable rating for left ear sensorineural hearing loss, service connection for a right ear hearing loss disability, and a left eye disorder. However, it granted service connection for a back disability and radiculopathy of both lower extremities as secondary to the back disability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for a disability rating in excess of 10 percent for left knee patellofemoral pain syndrome and a compensable disability rating for left ear hearing loss due to an inadequate VA examination.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for a compensable rating for right ear hearing loss disability and an increased rating for tinnitus, as the evidence did not support higher ratings.
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