The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that his right ear did not have a current disability due to in-service noise exposure and thus could not be presumed. The left ear was also found to lack a current disability.
The deciding factor: The VA audiological examination and addendum opinion concluded that there was no evidence of a chronic hearing loss condition for either ear during service or post-service, and the Veteran's right ear did not meet the criteria for a compensable degree of hearing impairment as defined by VA regulations. The left ear also lacked a current disability.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss, unilateral hearing loss of the right ear
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 12, 2011
- Citation
- 1118417
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 1118417.
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection of bilateral hearing loss and a ruptured right ear drum was dismissed due to the death of the Veteran.
- Denied
The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was noted upon entry into active duty service and did not increase in severity during service. Therefore, it denied his claim for service connection.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral hearing loss, migraine headaches, and PTSD due to additional development of records and examination.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss claim, specifically needing an addendum opinion from a VA examiner. The Veteran will be asked to provide any missing records and former employers' information.
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